Resilient Golden State Warriors Dig Out of Deep Hole and Sunday NBA Takeaways
The Golden State Warriors would probably prefer to win games without resorting to their Lazarus-like comeback skills, but it's nice to know they've got the power of resurrection at the ready just in case.
Stephen Curry hauled the Dubs up from a 26-point hole to defeat the Boston Celtics 106-101 on Sunday, matching the biggest rally for a win in the league this year. The Memphis Grizzlies also clawed back from a 26-point deficit in a victory over the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 13.
Behind Curry's 37 points on a ridiculous 14-of-22 shooting and a key strategic tweak, Golden State somehow avoided a third loss on its current road trip through the Eastern Conference. After slipping up against the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 22 and falling by double digits to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 26, the Warriors would have clinched a losing trip with a defeat at the Celtics' hands.
Golden State gave up 38 points in the first quarter and then allowed the halftime deficit to reach 16. Immediately after the break, Boston's advantage ballooned even more.
The Celtics didn't attack the Warriors like you would have expected. Boston's brutally effective defensive guards, Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley, certainly didn't shut down the Splash Brothers. Thompson tossed in 20 points to go along with Curry's game-high effort.
Instead, the C's did damage up front, despite an undersized cast of forwards. Though Andrew Bogut snatched 10 rebounds and blocked a pair of shots in 19 minutes, his size made him vulnerable against Boston's mobile, small-ball attack.
Brandon Bass, in particular, made the most of a quickness advantage.
Once Golden State got small in response, the tide turned.
The Warriors' ability to field lineups capable of switching every screen is a major weapon, and they employed it against Boston down the stretch. Draymond Green logged 44 minutes, most of them at center, and wreaked havoc all over the floor, noted Nate Duncan of Basketball Insiders:
Shaun Livingston used his wingspan to harass the much smaller Isaiah Thomas late in the game, forcing him to miss nine of 10 shots in one stretch. Elsewhere, Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes flew around the floor, running shooters off the line, holding their own as post defenders against Celtics forwards and generally stirring up trouble.
It was abundantly clear that Boston wanted to play at a breakneck pace in this one, and its final shot tally, as highlighted by ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton, proves it was successful in that effort:
But the Warriors made sure few of those shots fell by making the right adjustments, shutting the Celtics down. After putting up those 38 first-quarter points, Boston managed just 36 in the entire second half, finishing the game with an ugly 36.7 percent accuracy rate from the floor.
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens was satisfied with his team's effort but knew he was playing with fire by going small, per Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group:
The Warriors tied the game up with 4:39 remaining in the final period and then pulled ahead at the 3:26 mark on a second-effort play from Green, who tapped in his own missed floater. That lead was Golden State's first since a 4-3 advantage with 10:56 remaining in the first quarter.
After a couple of fortunate bounces and gutsy stops, the Dubs closed out the contest.
In an ideal world, the Warriors would simply use Bogut and their conventional closing lineup, which boasts the highest five-man net rating in the league among groups who've played at least 500 minutes together, per NBA.com.
Small ball is something of a poisonous term for the Warriors. It was a gimmick they relied on for years under Don Nelson, and playing small (by necessity) was a big reason for their undoing in last year's playoffs. Even if it conjures up unpleasant memories, it's still a weapon that can save the Warriors in certain circumstances.
Golden State wants to play big, balanced basketball. But sometimes, small and switchy wins the race as well.
Having both methods of attack at their disposal can only help the Warriors as they enter the stretch run.
Around The Association
Bulls Breaking Down
The Los Angeles Clippers improved to 6-3 since Blake Griffin left the lineup to have elbow surgery, and they got there with a 96-86 win over a Chicago Bulls squad coming apart at the seams.
Derrick Rose went down with a torn meniscus last week, but his injury is hardly the only one afflicting Tom Thibodeau's worn-out warriors. Jimmy Butler wrenched his elbow trying to navigate a screen in the third quarter and didn't return.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune added him to the ailing pile:
Pau Gasol gutted out 33 minutes, despite an illness that would have kept him on the bench if not for Chicago's short supply of healthy bodies. And though he did work on the glass, he was just 2-of-13 from the field. Of course, as we all know, a gritty effort always earns praise from Thibs, via Sam Smith of Bulls.com:
The Clips got 28 points and 12 assists from Chris Paul to go along with nine points and a whopping 26 boards from DeAndre Jordan. As per usual, those two provided the bulk of L.A.'s production.
Even after a game that saw them shoot 31 percent from the field and potentially lose another key player to injury, the Bulls have reason for hope. First of all, they'll face the Washington Wizards next, and no East playoff team has looked shakier than they have over the past few weeks.
In addition, we have this from Johnson:
Don't give up on the beaten and battered Bulls just yet.
James Harden Kicks, Closes Out LeBron James and the Cavs
Missed free throws sank LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in a spirited 105-103 loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday, capping one of the most riveting games of the season with an underwhelming end.
The Rockets riled James up in a chippy affair, as a flagrant-foul-inducing kick from James Harden got LeBron particularly engaged.
James Jones wasn't shy about describing his view of the incident, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com:
LBJ and The Beard battled down the stretch, trading isolation possessions as the fourth quarter ticked away. The contest went to overtime when James couldn't connect on a step-back jumper at the buzzer.
The extra period played out much like the fourth quarter, with the contest's two biggest stars squaring off in a back-and-forth duel. One key difference: While James matched up against Harden on defense, the Rockets shooting guard often gave way to Trevor Ariza, who hounded James into tough shots.
Perhaps that was the reason Harden had the energy to sustain his scoring down the stretch, while James struggled to convert—particularly from the foul line. Then again, as Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick pointed out, LeBron looked a little off at the line long before fatigue kicked in:
Two missed freebies with four seconds left allowed the Rockets to hold on to a one-point advantage, which Harden expanded on Houston's very last possession.
The final superstar tally was impressive, with James' inaccuracy from the stripe standing out as a decisive key:
| James | 37 | 8 | 4 | 15/35 | 3/11 |
| Harden | 33 | 8 | 5 | 8/18 | 15/18 |
Cleveland was without Kyrie Irving, whose sore left shoulder has now cost him two straight games. Perhaps if he'd been available to handle the ball late, James may not have worn himself down and fallen short at the line.
He was understandably upset after the fact, per Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group:
Tristan Thompson also deserves mention for his outstanding 14 points and 19 rebounds off the bench.
With the win, Houston secured a 2-0 season sweep against the Cavs, and Harden cemented his spot as the game's top closer. Cleveland has now lost two straight and will look to get back on track against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
For James's sake, let's hope the Cavs' next contest isn't close enough to be decided by free throws. He's down to 71.6 percent on the year, and it's now fair to wonder how his foul-shot woes might impact a playoff game or two down the line.
Thunder Get Collective
The Oklahoma City Thunder notched a 108-101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers without the services of Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook.
Thanks to across-the-board contributions (eight players scored at least eight points) led by new additions Enes Kanter and D.J. Augustin, OKC managed to win just its fifth game in 15 tries this year when both Russ and KD have been out.
Kanter was immensely productive, scoring 16 points, grabbing 15 boards and even handing out five assists in just 29 minutes. Augustin chipped in 18 points, nine rebounds and five helpers in 41 minutes as the team's only available point guard.
And let's not forget Serge Ibaka, who put up 18 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks—one of which led to a thoroughly entertaining finger wag, via Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman:
The Thunder will now get two full days off before taking on the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday—as favorable a break in the schedule as they could have asked for.
With Westbrook (facial fracture) and Durant (foot surgery) both set to be evaluated later this week, per Royce Young of ESPN.com, OKC may only have to hold on without its stars for a little while longer.
Pacers, Nets and Hornets in a Three-for-All
With the Indiana Pacers defeating the Philadelphia 76ers by 20 points and the Charlotte Hornets getting past the Orlando Magic by 15, the idle Brooklyn Nets slipped into a three-way tie for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference.
The technical advantage goes narrowly to the Pacers, whose .424 winning percentage gives them an edge over the matching .421 figures the Nets and Hornets are sporting, but all three are knotted up at No. 8, just a half-game back of the No. 7 Miami Heat.
If you're looking for a horse to pick in this race, go with the Pacers. They've won eight of their last 10 and have been extremely good with a healthy George Hill in the starting unit, sporting a 10-3 mark (h/t @JCSourWine).
Hill followed up his triple-double in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 27 with 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists on Sunday. Roy Hibbert was a major factor as well, scoring 14 points, hauling in 15 rebounds and stuffing five shots at the rim.
With Paul George potentially returning in the middle of March, per Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star-Tribune, the Pacers could rapidly put some distance between themselves and the rest of the pack.
After a horrendous second half a year ago, a messy playoff run and a tumultuous offseason marred most awfully by George's injury, there's plenty of room on the Indy bandwagon. And it might be worth hopping on for what could be an intriguing trip to the playoffs as a potential spoiler.
Blazers Nearly Bitten by Familiar Foe
Remember last year, when the Portland Trail Blazers' starters constantly amassed leads and then watched the bench surrender them?
Sunday's 110-99 win over the Sacramento Kings looked a lot like that, which is an issue for the Blazers because they've spent considerable resources to improve their cast of reserves.
The Kings cut a 12-point deficit at the end of the third quarter to just a single point in the final period, and most of the damage done throughout the game came against Portland's backups. Fortunately for the Blazers, Damian Lillard (31 points, seven assists and four rebounds) and LaMarcus Aldridge (26 points and 15 rebounds) not only built big leads early, but they also came in to close things out late.
Lillard, in particular, was big, per Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com:
If the Kings had had the services of DeMarcus Cousins or Darren Collison (both missed the game with injuries), it's entirely possible this one could have gone the other way.
Three Blazers reserves played at least 12 minutes—Chris Kaman, Arron Afflalo and Steve Blake—and all three posted plus-minus ratings in negative territory. Afflalo, who was just 1-of-4 from the field, was the best of the bunch at minus-nine.
All's well that ends well for Portland, though. It got away with an unbalanced effort in this one, but it'll need to get more consistent help from its supporting cast going forward.
Birds Flyin' High
Quick, try to guess which team is tied with the Rockets for the longest winning streak in the Western Conference.
I'll save us some time: It's the New Orleans Pelicans, who notched a 99-92 victory over the disintegrating Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
The Pellies got 22 points, seven assists and seven boards from Tyreke Evans and 16 rebounds from Omer Asik to extend their surprising winning streak to five—all without Anthony Davis (who played just nine minutes on Feb. 21, so we're counting that as a "without" game).
The Thunder's slow push up the standings probably means the Pelicans have only a slim chance of grabbing that No. 8 seed in the West, but their deficit is only a half-game right now, and who's to say the injury gods won't meddle with the Thunder some more just for fun?
Either way, the fact that New Orleans can do anything without Davis is a positive sign. He's going to need a solid core around him in the years to come, and maybe one's forming in his absence right now.
