Golden State Warriors vs. Atlanta Hawks: Postgame Grades and Analysis
Jeff Teague scored 23 points, Paul Millsap added 21 and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Golden State Warriors, 124-116, in a battle of the NBA's best at Philips Arena Friday night.
This game was hotly contested throughout, but the Hawks used a 72-point second half to come away with the win.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr obviously understands how good Atlanta is, so he wasn't too concerned about the loss, per Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group:
Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 29 points.
| Stephen Curry | B |
| Klay Thompson | A |
| Andrew Bogut | B |
| Draymond Green | A |
| Harrison Barnes | B |
| Rest of Team | C |
| Al Horford | A- |
| Paul Millsap | A |
| Jeff Teague | A- |
| Kyle Korver | A |
| DeMarre Carroll | B |
| Rest of Team | A+ |
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry struggled in the first half, but he exploded in the third period.
Curry connected on three three-pointers in the third quarter alone, displaying that lightning-quick release and making Atlanta pay for giving him even an inch of breathing room.
However, overall, this wasn't a trademark Curry night.
While he did make four of his 10 attempts from distance, the All-Star shot only 8-of-19 overall, and outside of that stretch in the third period, he was largely unimpactful.
Curry ended the night with 26 points and nine assists. He only had one turnover, so that's great.
Klay Thompson: A
Unlike Curry, Klay Thompson had a very efficient shooting night.
The explosive 2-guard drained 11 of his 20 shot attempts, going 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. He made some difficult shots, many of the leaning variety, and helped keep his team in the game in the third quarter along with Curry.
Thompson posted 29 points, five dimes and four rebounds.
Andrew Bogut: B
Andrew Bogut was a great defensive presence for the Warriors.
Bogut blocked three shots at the rim and altered numerous others, making Hawks players take difficult angles on layups and also deterring them from even trying to get to the cup.
The big man finished with five points and seven rebounds. He was a bit sloppy, though, turning the ball over four times in 22 minutes. That knocks Bogut's grade down a peg.
Draymond Green: A
Draymond Green was arguably Golden State's best player on the floor.
Despite drawing a tough matchup with Paul Millsap, Green battled to the tune of 12 points and a career-high 20 rebounds. He also tallied six assists.
How in the world Green was able to be that effective on the glass, despite his size disadvantage, is a testament to how tough he played in this contest.
He shot 6-of-14 from the floor.
Harrison Barnes: B
Harrison Barnes had a decent night.
He was efficient, shooting 6-of-12, and he did a great job of leaking out off rebounds and missed shots to open himself up for easy dunks on the break.
Barnes misfired on all three of his three-point attempts, however.
He scored 12 points.
Rest of Team: C
Shaun Livingston was about the only Dubs reserves who displayed any kind of efficiency.
Livingston scored six points off 3-of-4 shooting and added four boards and three dimes.
Andre Iguodala shot 3-of-8 to get his eight points off the bench, burying a pair of treys. He also contributed three assists.
Leandro Barbosa registered eight points, but it took him 10 shots to do so. He was able to get to the rim with his blinding quickness, but he was not able to convert that often.
Marreese Speights and David Lee combined for 10.
Atlanta Hawks
Al Horford: A-
Even with foul trouble, Al Horford was outstanding.
The All-Star big man put forth a great all-around performance, logging 12 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in 25 minutes.
Horford went to work on the Warriors down low, taking advantage of mismatches and giving the defense significant issues with his floor vision.
He only shot 4-of-10 from the field, but his impact in other areas was profound.
Paul Millsap: A
Millsap knew he could feast on the Warriors, and he did.
With Green being too small and Bogut not possessing the quickness to defend Millsap, the Atlanta forward registered 21 points off 6-of-10 shooting.
He used an array of dribble drives and pump fakes to discombobulate the Golden State defense, and he also drew a lot of contact, getting to the free-throw line 12 times (he made nine foul shots).
Millsap added four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Jeff Teague: A-
Jeff Teague did not shoot the ball well, going 5-of-15, but his activity on both ends of the floor was a huge difference-maker.
Teague hounded Curry most of the night, even coming up with a couple of blocks (including one on a Curry three-point attempt).
He also got after loose balls and was active in passing lanes.
Teague finished with 23 points, seven assists and three steals and went a perfect 11-of-11 from the charity stripe.
Kyle Korver: A
You've gotta love Kyle Korver.
Korver scored 17 points off 6-of-10 shooting, going a modest (for Korver) 5-of-9 from three-point range. Not only that but Korver also was a force on the glass, grabbing seven rebounds, some of them coming in heavy traffic.
His ability to spread the floor sent Golden State's defense scrambling on numerous occasions in this contest.
DeMarre Carroll: B
DeMarre Carroll was steady as usual.
He scored 12 points off 4-of-6 shooting, taking only what the defense gave him and making some nice hustle plays.
Carroll had a key three-point play in the first half, putting in a layup on the break with the contact. He also made a beautiful cut with 1:30 remaining in the game and sunk a layup to put his team up by eight.
Rest of Team: A+
Mike Scott was terrific off the bench.
The sharpshooting big man scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, going 5-of-7 from the floor and knocking down all three of his long-range tries. He also hit some big shots down the stretch.
Dennis Schroder was also absolutely brilliant off the pine.
The second-year guard recorded nine points and seven assists in 17 minutes and was a terror with his speed, slicing through the Golden State defense and putting it on its heels in transition.
Kent Bazemore was spectacular, as well, draining three triples in the first half and scoring 11 points overall. He brought great energy on both ends.
What's Next?
The Warriors will head to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks in what should be an easy win Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Meanwhile, the Hawks will head west for another tough matchup, this time with the rough-and-tumble Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.
