AP Photo/Paul Connors
Stephen Curry – Grade C-
Steph occasionally helped too much on defense and consequently got himself in no man’s land when Dragic wound up with the ball. It allowed the Suns point guard to create plays and score. Offensively, Curry was just a train wreck, missing open shots, over-penetrating on drives and turning the ball over. And yet, the Dubs don’t win this game without his five points late in the fourth quarter.
Klay Thompson – Grade C
The sharpshooter was good in terms of sustaining runs with his shooting as well as even getting himself open but when things got tough for the Warriors in the third and fourth quarters, his jumper began to betray him, as he converted a mere 3-of-10 field goal attempts.
Harrison Barnes – Grade D-
The former Tar Heel saw limited action in this contest given that he was matched up with Michael Beasley and just could not defend him one-on-one or in the pick-and-roll. Nonetheless, Barnes was active on offense, crashing the boards and trying to get out on the break.
David Lee – Grade D
Lee was active at times defensively and even tried to help protect the paint but wasn’t always up to the task. Offensively, Lee was awful, missing a multitude of shots and getting his attempts thrown back into his face and even missing chippies right at the rim. Nonetheless, he still helped out on the glass.
Andrew Bogut – Grade C
His timing was a little off and he had trouble collecting himself to catch the ball on occasion and consequently cost the Warriors some scoring opportunities. He still showed he has the ability to post up and defensively was a presence in the paint and he helped clean up the boards.
Things We Saw
I. The starters looked out of sync early in the game probably due to the lack of repetition during the preseason. The second unit played better offensively and created high percentage shots thanks in large part to their continuity.
II. The Golden State Warriors’ defense produced mixed results in this contest. At times it was a complete mess as opponents were able to get to the rim without much impediment, and on other occasions the defense shut down the lane and looked like a matchup zone. The Dubs were also able to swipe at the ball and create a few transition opportunities.
III. Mark Jackson opted to bench Andrew Bogut in the fourth quarter and instead went with the tandem of David Lee and Carl Landry. The reasoning probably had something to do with the fact that Landry was terrific at catching passes from different players and then either finishing off the pass or creating his own offense to get himself to the rim. Landry finished with 12 fourth quarter points on 5-for-6 field goal shooting.
IV. When teams win, poor execution often gets forgotten but this needs to get mentioned: Stephen Curry had two opportunities to close out the game and failed. On the first try, the Warriors were nursing a three-point lead with under 30 seconds left in the game and the shot clock winding down.; Curry picked up his dribble and gave the ball up to a teammate that forced a tough shot that ended up being an air ball. On the second try, GSW was up by two with a little over five seconds left and Curry went to the free throw line and missed both freebies.
V. With that said, the Golden State Warriors were victorious on the road despite getting a mere five points on 4-for-30 field goal shooting from David Lee and Stephen Curry.
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