Stephen Curry left shocked after Golden State Warriors turn the tables on biggest issues
Golden State Warriors v Sacramento Kings / Lachlan Cunningham/GettyImages
On Tuesday night against the Sacramento Kings, the Golden State Warriors became the first team in nearly 10 years to concede over 40 free-throws and record over 20 turnovers in a singular game
In the nationally-televised final In-Season Tournament group game, the light shone bright on the Warriors’ two biggest issues. These have been problems for years, even despite their unparalleled success over the last decade.
The Golden State Warriors proved themselves capable of playing controlled, judicious basketball back home at Chase Center on Thursday.
Golden State turned the tables against the LA Clippers on Thursday night, with ball security and defending without fouling clear points of emphasis. The Warriors executed right from the jump, and they desperately needed to given their record and the absence of Andrew Wiggins, Chris Paul and Gary Payton II.
They had two turnovers in the first-quarter and just seven for the game, an incredibly low number given the way this team plays and their often careless nature. Doing it without the masterful floor general in Paul, who holds the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league, was even more impressive.
Fadeaway three for KT ☔
pic.twitter.com/dE9GytmCms— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors)
December 1, 2023
Golden State also recorded just two fouls in the first-quarter — the first caused outrage from Stephen Curry who was sure he didn’t hit Clipper guard Russell Westbrook, earning a technical foul as a result. The second was a deliberate ‘foul to give’ scenario in the final seconds.
The Warriors recorded three less fouls than the Clippers and tallied seven more free-throws over the course of the game, proving important in the tight six-point win. They’ve now proved themselves capable of playing in a meticulous fashion on both ends of the floor, so can they do it on a more consistent basis?
This team isn’t talented enough to have a wide margin of error where they can afford to have lackadaisical possessions offensively, and inattentive plays defensively. Reducing those self-inflicted mistakes will be key and is something Curry spoke about in the post-game.
“”Only seven turnovers? Well I’ll be…When you look at the margins of where a game can turn, where momentum can turn, where you give away possessions or free-throws. Those sting because those are controllable. When you feel like it’s self-inflicted, that’s where you lose sleep in the regular season,” Curry said.”
The Warriors will now look to repeat the dose as they travel to Los Angeles for a return battle with the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday afternoon.
