Stephen Curry was asked about Jonathan Kuminga seemingly calling a play out — Steve Kerr said it was more of a recognition of some action they like between Trayce Jackson-Davis and Klay Thompson, than a play (see transcript below) — at about the 6-minute mark of the 4th quarter, when Kuminga directed Jackson-Davis and Thompson to the right side of the floor and the two of them executed a pick-and-roll to perfection. Here’s the play:
Btw, we have this new tradition on our “watch party” livestreams where, postgame, we pick four “unsung highlights” from the game. We were thrilled for the youngster JK in overtly showing a trait of team leadership, and he won the vote, although there was a nice distribution and recognition of other plays that will probably go under-the-radar when it comes to highlight reels:
Kuminga calling a play (45%)
Wiggs block and jump hook (33%)
TJD tap out to Mo, 2hand drive dunk (12%)
TJD tip in via lost Wiggs ball (9%)
And yet in true Curry fashion, on the podium perhaps making sure to spread the wealth in front of the public eye, Steph immediately segued to another play, this time involving TJD in the 2nd quarter with about seven-and-a-half minutes left before the half:
It gives us confidence and composure that when we’re communicating like that or he’s confident or sees the pictures that everything kind of flows the way it’s supposed to, so that happened and there were smiles all around because he did it. It happened in another play where I was coming down and Trayce yelled at me, that he was going to set the pick and roll, and so I kind of slowed down and knew where he was and that is new where he’s understanding how to get guys open and then, ‘Help somebody help yourself,’ kind of mentality, but him being vocal about it, even when he sees me in the action – that’s when I threw that no-look pass to him and I told him right after the time out like that only happened because you said something to me and saw the picture before I even did. So all those little things matter and JK, he’s had the ball in his hands a lot more and he’s making defenses pay, and now seeing the pictures and getting everybody organized is amazing.
Here’s that play:
I thought it was also a good development hearing that Curry is not getting distracted by arguing with refs, as The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson was apparently getting some quotes in regards to 30’s lack of free throws despite the brilliant shooting displays and gaudy scoring stats.
But the not-arguing-with-refs thing will set a good example for, say, JK, who I often saw during the live broadcasts earlier this season as a little too demonstrative with the officials, to the point where it caused a second or two of delay in running back on defense — Kerr has mentioned quite a few times the last two weeks that, while the team has been playing top-five offense and defense, their transition defense still remains poor.
Incidentally, this should also help Klay, who imo was also a little too demonstrative with the refs up until recently, although his metamorphosis into “Sixth Man Klay” has already done plenty on the humility side of things.
Videos and transcripts from the win over the Lakers, plus Steve’s pregame where he talked at length about his son Nicholas Kerr as coach of the G League Santa Cruz Warriors, in the context of handling all the pressures and scrutiny that come with coaching, and reminded reporters of the greatness of Chris Paul as everyone anticipates his return.
I also threw in a couple random things in the Kerr pregame video: 1) a “Game 6 Klay” reference from OKC head coach Mark Daigneault with respect to how Kerr switched sides on the Thunder in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, and 2) a Gary Payton II mention by newly signed Delon Wright of the Miami Heat, who said he shot around with the sons of Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, and Gary Payton, and who is the younger brother of former Warrior and Heat player Dorell Wright.
0:00 Steph this is another game where you had two free throws. How difficult is it to get 32 points consistently without getting to the free throw line? And do you think that is sustainable? Do you want to get to the line more? Do you kind of like being able to get 32 points with two free throws?
STEPHEN CURRY POSTGAME LAL-GSW: “I’ve never been a – what do they call them – like a foul-baiter or worried about selling calls. And I haven’t really obsessed over – I’ve made jokes, like I got two free throws today, I cheered, let out a nice little yell, just being sarcastic, but mostly there’s maybe been like two or three possessions in the last three or three games where there’s like, ‘Oh it should have been a foul,’ and then you get distracted by arguing with the ref or whatever it is. I’ve been trying to not even engage in that and for the most part, it’s helped because you can’t control whether you get there or not. You still gotta do what you need to do to help your team win, make an impact, score the ball, whatever it is. So it’s nice to have this window where no matter if I’m getting there or not, I’m still shooting efficiently and getting where I need to on the floor. But if there are foul calls, like I hope that they’re called. So it’s just one of those ‘don’t get distracted by it’ type of mentalities.”
1:38 You ever seen Klay specifically pass as well to somebody, as he seems to be connecting with Trayce?
“For sure. I couldn’t – I don’t have specific examples, but it’s even like early in his career there was that offseason where he came back and he’s running pin-downs and that was like his favorite thing to do, the one-dribble pocket pass or over the top. Maybe it’s to Bogues (Andrew Bogut) back in the day, but I heard that he told Trayce pregame if he sets good screens for him, he knows that he still demands the attention, or Klay does, coming off of pin-downs and he’s a threat to shoot at any point. But he was so decisive with what he wanted to do with the ball and getting it to Trayce on time and Trayce was doing the rest. So I liked that he had fun doing it and that he appreciated the fact that that’s the option that he has on offense, with his shots falling or not falling, no matter what it looks like.”
2:48 Kerr said that he’s trying to talk to you guys the last few days, maybe it was yesterday, where you are in the standings, how many games are left, maybe strength of schedule, whatever you talk about and he said like sixth seed’s a goal or I don’t know if he said a realistic goal; how how much are you thinking tangibly about getting to six? How much do you think that’s likely or do you just want to be playing well and it doesn’t matter what seed you’re going to be?
“He had a great speech about all of that yesterday. The way I approach it is that sixth seed is the goal because that obviously guarantees you a spot in the series and that’s what we want. But in order to, in the way our season’s gone, taking a big goal and breaking it down, this is probably the ultimate test of, ‘Stay right where you are; win every game that’s in front of you.’ Build up a joy and energy and momentum. But that’s a slow process because we really haven’t – there’s confidence but we haven’t proven that we’ve won nine out of 11 and this is a good window that we’ve had. But literally every game matters for us to do that. So I’m just trying to enjoy what’s happening in each game, understanding what it’s going to take to win that particular game. It’s a lofty goal but we know we can get there.”
4:16 Speaking of what’s ahead of you, we all know that CP’s coming back pretty soon. Rotation’s been pretty well set. You’ve gone through this before. You’ve got a deep roster. Have there been conversations already about, ‘Okay, everyone has to understand sometimes the minutes aren’t going to be there’? We’ve talked about this all season, but specific to this and CP where’s the team with that? What’s the kind of mindset knowing he’s coming back in, and guys already have had some of their minutes limited this season?
“Well, first you’d be an idiot not to think that CP can help us and he has an ability to exist in whatever lineup he’s out there with and elevate them. The question is from a night to night perspective, you start with the idea of who’s going to close the game and Coach talked about this yesterday. We’ve been talking about it all year. That could look different night after night after night, minutes could look different night after night. And that is the challenge of this team. It sounds like a broken record from early in the year. But I feel like we’ve developed as best of an identity as we’ve had all year, by how we’re trying to play and the fact that winning is fun and no matter what it looks like, everybody’s going to have a piece of that and a chance to impact that. And so we have to keep talking about it because it is the elephant in the room every night, who’s going to be out there to finish games. What are minutes going to look like? But if we can be as selfless as possible and not care about that, then everybody’s talents can help us win, CP included.”
6:16 So I see Kuminga kind of setting up, kind of directing traffic a little bit. I guess he didn’t call it, but saw that Klay was going to get that pin-down. What are you thinking when you see this guy in his third season, kind of feeling that he can kind of direct traffic a little bit?
“It gives us confidence and composure that when we’re communicating like that or he’s confident or sees the pictures that everything kind of flows the way it’s supposed to, so that happened and there were smiles all around because he did it. It happened in another play where I was coming down and Trayce yelled at me, that he was going to set the pick and roll, and so I kind of slowed down and knew where he was and that is new where he’s understanding how to get guys open and then, ‘Help somebody help yourself,’ kind of mentality, but him being vocal about it, even when he sees me in the action – that’s when I threw that no-look pass to him and I told him right after the time out like that only happened because you said something to me and saw the picture before I even did. So all those little things matter and JK, he’s had the ball in his hands a lot more and he’s making defenses pay, and now seeing the pictures and getting everybody organized is amazing.”
7:42 Steph, in the second quarter you had a nice closeout. It was on Max Christie, forced a jump ball, got hype with the crowd. Then in the third quarter you jumped the passing lane, got an easy layup and then a few possessions later you drew a charge. How much do plays on that side of the ball really energize you?
“It’s kind of like the – what do you call it? Just the ability to impact the game a lot of different ways. I’m not a defensive stopper by any means, but you love competition and love being able to get going, even if it’s not shooting the ball or whatever the case is, and I know that it matters because there’s five guys on defense, everybody being in lockstep of taking on whatever challenge it is, that we all can feed off of that energy. So it’s kind of like that playoff mentality where you know that’s as important as what you do on the offensive end. And those energy plays matter.”
8:46 I saw you at one point, you’re coaching up Lester (Quinones) on the bench, just seeing some of the young guys start to blossom a little bit. What is that like? Just because you see them when they come in over the last couple of years and then see some of the fruits of their labor pay off. How does that feel as one of the vets?
“Whether you see it or not, it’s always a part of us trying to build confidence in them that they can help us win. They’ve energized us all year, building confidence, whoever you put in that young guy category or bucket. Message for Les tonight was, don’t overthink stuff. Just play basketball. Shoot shots. You’re supposed to shoot. Be aggressive when it’s you and it’s your turn. Like, the worst thing he can do is turn down open shots because he’s out there for a reason. So that was the only message and it’s just a matter of building confidence because, to Tim’s question, you don’t know if you’re gonna play five minutes or 15 minutes when you’re out there and make an impact and you’re out there for a reason.”
0:00 We don’t always see Steph get off to a start like that. Was that kind of built in? Were you kind of setting it up for him to kind of be aggressive offensively this start?
STEVE KERR POSTGAME LAL-GSW: “Not really, but this year he’s been a little more aggressive in the first quarters in general. Just probably because the team is built a little differently. And so he feels like it’s kind of okay for him to get going right away. This team can use that. So he just kind of sees what the game is offering and does whatever he needs to do.”
0:37 And speaking of Steph in that second quarter, he had a good closeout. It forced like a jump ball and he got really hype and then in the third quarter, there’s a play where a couple possessions later draws a charge. When he’s making plays on that side of the ball, do you think it affects him in a way that really gets everybody going?
“Yeah, Steph takes a lot of pride in making plays like that, steals or drawing a charge, making a good defensive play, that definitely gets him going and gets our team going.”
1:09 Why do you think Klay connects with Trayce so often?
“Because Trayce is such a good finisher and when Klay comes off pin-downs, people are gonna – they’re scared; they’re going to put two on the ball and he just knows that if Trayce, after he sets the screen, if he slips and gets to the rim, he knows Trayce is going to finish and they’ve just had a great connection all year on that action.”
1:39 You talked pregame about how Chris (Paul) will kind of slide into that unit. Do you view Trayce as kind of an ideal center in that sense where Klay’s connecting with him, Chris theoretically. Trayce had obviously a huge night tonight, do you see him as the center in that unit?
“Yeah, because he gives Chris a lob threat. So you can see what that unit – I don’t know what that might look like and so it’ll be great to get Chris back and kind of put that group together and see how they do.”
2:13 Andrew (Wiggins) scored double-digits in the last seven games. We’ve talked a lot about how Draymond (Green) coming back has impacted him and the way that Andrew, Draymond and Jonathan (Kuminga) have played together, but aside from that, what have you observed over Andrew and the development of his season, but really these past couple of weeks that have allowed him to resemble a little bit more of who he was, especially that championship year?
“Yeah, he just looks more comfortable. He’s attacking the rim more and I think the way we’re playing and the lineup that he starts the game with just gives him more space to attack and he’s looked really good now for a while. Physically I just think he looks much better than he did early in the season, but the way our team has evolved and the lineups that we’re playing kind of feeds into everything that he does well and he’s just he’s playing at a high level, playing unselfishly, just making the simple play and I love how Wiggs is playing right now.”
3:17 Steve, Steph seems like he’s maintaining his high volume of scoring without very many free throws. How difficult is that actually, to put up 30-34 with two free throws and do you think it’s sustainable?
“I don’t know. I didn’t used to get fouled either and I would put up my six and I was like, I don’t know how I did it either. I barely got to the line and, no, I just think that he’s the most skilled player I’ve ever seen. And so this is a league where the game is geared towards the offensive players we know and so there’s a lot of guys who are taking advantage of that and seeking fouls and Steph has just never played like that. He doesn’t do that, all that stuff. He just tries to get space because he knows when he gets space, he’s gonna more than likely knock down a shot and he doesn’t spend a lot of time at the line unless we have a lead, and people are fouling down the stretch. But he’s so good and so skilled that he finds a way anyway.”
4:38 Do you want him to be more like the rest of the league?
“What we’ve talked about over the years a little bit is just mixing in some pump fakes and when guys are flying into him, it’s not a bad play to use a pump fake and just draw a shooting foul and get three free throws. On the other hand, he loves the fly by and he takes one dribble to his left and knocks down the shot so easily. So it’s just not something we’ve spent a whole lot of time on, but there are games and playoff series where teams are playing us a certain way and it’s great for Steph and Klay to draw people off their feet and get to the line. It’s a big help, but it’s just never been something that they’ve relied on too much.”
4:45 In the first half you sat Draymond for like 11 or 12 minutes in a row, game time, and even with a lot of that with AD out there. Was that intentional, what was going on there?
“That was just because Trayce was playing so well. So we had planned on bringing him in earlier. Trayce scored 13 straight points and he was getting to the rim. So the game was going well and we started to put Draymond in and Trayce another couple of buckets and he came over to the huddle and he said, ‘Let him go,’ and we agreed and we just thought, ‘Let’s give Trayce another couple of minutes,’ and we did and then Draymond came in after that.”
6:07 And also, I’m sure you probably know, in the fourth quarter it was a possession where Kuminga is just at the top of the circle. Everyone kind of clears out for him and he’s directing traffic. He’s literally calling for screens on the right side. Is that something you encourage, something you want him to do? And it did result in a basket. Is that a sign of development for him?
“Yeah, yeah, he recognized what was happening. He pointed for Klay to come off the screen and then Klay hit Trayce for the bucket and they called the timeout. That’s the one you’re talking about and yes that’s a really great sign of JK seeing the floor, recognizing what’s happening and then making the right play to create that little two-on-one with Klay and Trayce.”
Is that set up for him to make a decision?
“JK? No, it’s really set up whoever has the ball. Anytime we can pin down for Klay or Steph, that’s great stuff for us. Because those guys draw so much attention. So he recognized that, JK did, that’s what he pointed for and then when Klay came off, he hit him and two guys jumped out at Klay and Klay found Trayce. So that’s really a big part of our offense. So it’s a great sign that JK recognized that and he’s starting to make those plays.”
7:28 How much are you paying Klay?
TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: “Klay likes passing me the ball. Before the game he actually came up to me, he said, ‘Come get me on pin downs, ball screens and transition. I’ll get you; you’re either gonna get a dunk or I’m gonna get a shot,’ and I said, ‘All right,’ and then he finds me. I feel like we have a great connection and I love playing with him.”
7:57 Happy Birthday, Trayce. Steve was just saying that with the makeup of this roster, Steph really looks to be even more aggressive in the first quarters now. What does it mean to you guys when he just starts hitting right after the opening tip and gets on a roll early? And what kind of lift does that give you guys?
“Just him and then getting the crowd engaged, bringing a lot of energy, it fuels us and it fuels and sets the tone for the rest of the game and having someone with that caliber and shooting the ball like that, you just want to get him as many shots as possible, because you know that when he’s in that zone, it’s hard to stop.”
8:35 Obviously things can always change, but Kerr kind of suggested that when Chris is back the second unit could really look like with you at the center, obviously a role threat. Have you heard that? And do you sense that? And what does that mean to you that obviously minutes have come and gone for you a little bit this season, that you might be able to get a regular rotation spot in there?
“For me it’s just all about working hard. I have a great connection with CP. I have a great connection with Klay, but that’s Coach’s decision to decide who the best fit is out there and so I’m going to leave it up to him because I know that he’s going to make the best decision for the team.”
9:11 Is it fun or is there pressure when you’ve got guys like Hall of Famers? Now we’re talking two of them who are saying, ‘We’re going to get you.’ Chris has said that. Like, ‘I’ve made a lot of big men a lot of money.’ Is that a little pressure on you?
“No, it’s the opposite. when they instill confidence in me like that it just makes me want to raise my game to another level. And obviously you don’t want to let them down, but at the same time they give you confidence and usually half the time they draw so much attention at just getting a dunk or a layup. So it’s just about finishing and concentrating.”
9:40 Did you know you had 13 that quick?
“I didn’t necessarily know that I had 13 that quick. I knew I scored like three or four times in a row, but I wasn’t really paying attention. I was actually upset because I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to on the defensive end with the coverages, so I was more mad about that.”
9:56 On the Klay front, did it take a little time for you guys to develop that or did it come pretty quick?
“It was pretty natural, honestly. I can remember from the first time I started in the preseason. He hit me a few times. He hit me with a lob over Sabonis. So I feel like that. It’s just kind of like a synergy that we have. That’s just knowing how to play the game together.”
10:38 Andrew, what’s been clicking the last couple of weeks for you?
ANDREW WIGGINS: “I feel like I just found a good rhythm and put in the work, practice, getting extra shots up. Just feeling good about myself and the team is rolling right now. Everyone on the team is, we’re all playing together, playing the right way. And we’re figuring something out that could be special.”
11:07 What’s the energy for you guys been like over the last 11 games where you’ve won nine times versus when things were kind of south in the first half of the year?
“It’s great; winning brings the best of everybody, everyone’s happy when we win. And when you lose it’s not as fun.”
11:26 And I’m sure maybe at other points in your career you’ve gone through what you might call a little rut or a little dry dry spell, whatever you want to call it. How did you just mentally keep saying, ‘Okay I’m putting up the shots, this is gonna come around’?
“I just gotta stay with the process, so to speak. Yeah, you just gotta keep believing in yourself and I know what I can do and I’ve been in the league for 10 years now, so I know what I can do and what I can’t do, and I know it just takes time, and find the right things that work for me again. And yeah. And everything will be okay.”
And Klay is not maybe shooting the way he wants to right now. Do you guys chat at all or in practice,I know you’re not always on the same court, but just supporting each other saying, ‘Okay, Klay, keep firing it’?
“For sure. You have to; that’s a good way to get out of a slump, is just keep shooting, keep believing in yourself. And Klay’s one of the best shooters of all-time. To me, it’s Steph and then him, so I believe in him. I know the team believes in him and we all know what he can do.”
12:39 It seems like the starting lineup with Draymond at center has a little bit more space and a little bit more opportunities to find mismatches. Do you feel that as a player and is that kind of a lineup that you feel more comfortable in?
“For sure. Draymond on the floor, he makes the whole team better. He makes everyone better around him. On the defensive side and the offensive side, he’s had one of the highest IQs in the league and it shows out there on the court.”
Steve, I know you don’t know for sure when Chris (Paul) will be back and maybe he’ll have a minute restriction, but have you begun to think about what the effect would be on the rotation? Does he come right back in and get some of their minutes?
STEVE KERR PREGAME LAL-GSW: “That’s something we talk about all the time. Once we’re fully healthy, we’re gonna have a numbers crunch literally every night. We’re gonna have to decide who’s closing each half. It’ll probably be fluid, based on how the game’s going, but the only way it can work is if everybody buys in, everybody accepts the fact that every night could be a little different. It’s a little different, but we can’t wait to get Chris back. Obviously he’s been one of our best players and he’s in all of our best lineups and a great, great player. Great point guard does so many good things for us. So it’s great to have the option to close with him. Just like it’s great to have the option to close with several other guys too. And so it won’t be easy, but it’s like I said, as long as everybody is committed to just winning the game and recognizing that every night could be a little different, then we’re going to be in good shape… he’ll come back on the road trip at some point. So hopefully sooner rather than later next week.”
Hey Steve, I got a chance to spend some time with your son down in Santa Cruz. I had a couple questions about him. What’s the season been like for you watching him in that role? And has there been any advice that you’ve given him?
“Not really, he does his job and I do mine. He will come up once the G League season ends he’ll come and be part of our staff. That’s what we’ve done traditionally with the head coach of our G League team, but the main talk between us is just regarding the guys who go back and forth. When we brought Lester up and started playing him, I had some questions for Nick about Lester and we talk about our two-way guys quite a bit.”
Steve, what are your thoughts on the newest signing? You got the guy named Pat Spencer. What can you tell us about him?
“Pat’s great. We’re really excited. We had him in camp last year, a very interesting story. One of the all time great lacrosse players and in college lacrosse history. And then played basketball at Northwestern after his lacrosse career finished and we really like him. He plays hard and just understands the game, shooting it really well this year for Santa Cruz. He was injured most of last year, so he’s healthy now and so we’re excited to get him on the two way and also very excited to get Lester on the main roster; he’s really worked hard over the years and and put the time in and he’s played well for us and he’s really earned this. So we’re excited for him.”
I’ve got just one more on Nick. Given his last name, he admitted to me that he deleted his Twitter when he got the job because he was nervous about blowback. How do you recommend that to all of you by the way? How do you think he’s handled that aspect of it? And were you concerned at all when he got the job and it was announced?
“No. You kind of know that getting into this world and it’s funny. Three kids and Nick was the only one really interested in my basketball career growing up. He would go to every game. The other two were much more interested in other stuff, but he’s kind of grown up with it. He was a ball boy in San Antonio for us and he’s sat and watched the NBA forever and so he gets it, if you’re the head coach you’re gonna get criticized. That’s all part of it and it’s good for all of our coaches who go through the G League to kind of feel the game pressure, get used to it. All of the different stuff, the media, pre and post game, the reaction, understanding that you’re going to make decisions that go wrong all the time. It’s part of it and recognizing that you’re never as good as the praise. You’re never as bad as the criticism and none of it really matters that much anyway. It’s all about what you do with your group with the players and the coaching staff.”
Just to go back to the rotations. The rotations, as a coach would you rather have a set rotation that you know can close games or would you rather have more options to make more decisions during games?
“Every coach would rather have it just be really clean and easy. These are your five guys and this is how every game is going to go. And you just ride with that. That makes it really easy, but it’s not always that way and this year it’s not that way at all and so we have to figure out from game to game how we want to close and sometimes it sort of makes itself pretty clear, the game does, and you see how everything’s going and you just ride with a group that’s going well, but sometimes it’s not clear at all and those are the hard nights where you have to make a decision when it’s very blurred and there’s no easy answer and you’ve got to ride with that and live with the results.”
Sounds like it’s part of, I don’t know, the welcome back. You talked to the team a lot about like the standings, where you guys sit, the target of probably the sixth seed, you’d say. How focused are you on that? Are you watching, I guess, the rest of the conference as games restart? And where do you kind of view the challenge ahead for you guys to climb these standings?
“Well, I’m excited about it. I feel like this has been the best version of us now, the last couple of weeks, but I’m excited to get Chris back. The first 35-40 games of the year it felt like the strength of our team was our second unit, led by Chris and Dario and so we have a real chance here now to put together, when Chris gets back, the best possible 48-minute effort that we can, between the starting group that has found success and Chris and Klay now really anchoring that that second unit. I’m excited about it. We have a shot to really make some little bit of hay and in terms of the conference standings, and yeah we watch the standings every day, I wanted to make sure the players knew what the goal was and where we were. I mentioned it to them. I said that’s obviously the goal, just to avoid the play-in. But if you go for it and end up seventh, you’re still in a way better spot than you would be in 10th. So we have to just put our best foot forward and 29 games left, a lot of them like tonight against teams that are ahead of us. So a lot of important games. It’s fun.”
Steve, kind of along Anthony (Slater)’s question, if I remember correctly, you guys opened with the Lakers prior to the break and it was sort of this notion that it was gonna be a sprint to the finish and they all start because everybody was so jumbled, as you guys kind of want to put this this run together How do you balance that desire to move this move up the standings with sort of the recognition that you have a little bit of an older team in places, and at what point does the sprint like actually become a sprint where you don’t worry about that stuff as much?
“Well, the good thing for us is that our young players have really emerged and they’ve helped us become the team, we are now so I don’t feel like I’m in a position now where I’ve got to decide between am I overextending Steph and Draymond or am I not playing the young guys enough, all of that has sort of mixed in together now to the point where everybody’s contributing to winning and JK and Brandin, in particular, have been so important for us the last month and the depth of our team is one of our strengths and so I don’t look at this as, ‘This is a sprint and we’re going to ride stuff and drive we’re going to we’re going to keep playing the kind of the same type of minutes that we’ve been playing.’ We have to do a better job closing games. That’s the bottom line. We’ve put ourselves in position to win a lot of games that we haven’t finished and whatever that means, that’s what we’ve got to do.”
Speaking of finishing in the last couple of games, even you guys had tough fourth quarters. Clippers come back and win, the Jazz come back and make it really tight. In both cases you are a top-five rebounding team. In fourth quarter rebounding, you guys are last in the league in the past couple of games. So what do you think happens there? And how do you address that and fix that? Because you go from building a really good rebounding team early and then the fourth quarter really fades.
“Yeah, Utah was sending everybody to the glass and they’re pretty big and athletic, but watching the tape there were three or four plays where we didn’t box out. So it just comes down to trying to limit our mistakes in multiple ways, whether it’s turnovers, which we had a few of in that game or shot goes up and you don’t go hit a body. Those are the kinds of things that we’re gonna continue to emphasize because the only way to close games is to handle all the little stuff.”
15:00 refs: Zarba, Petraitis, Kogus — the crew from hell
15:30 tipoff!
11m51 Q1 Draymond knock ball from AD
11m41 Q1 AD oreb vs Dray, hurt again (soft!)
11m30 Q1 Steph curl 3 good
11m23 Q1 Steph traps DLo, jump ball Wiggs
11m09 Q1 Dray TTBTTOT
11m01 Q1 Dray good D on AD base
1m051 Q1 JK corner 3 not a good shot
10m30 Q1 Steph 3 via Dray P&R vs AR
9m45 Q1 Wiggup!
9m40 Q1 Steph mindless body check
9m27 Q1 Steph razzle dime behind back to Wiggs 94ft
9m07 Q1 Wiggs sucks in too far to help AD, AR 3
8m49 Q1 Steph bad tov TTBTTOT
8m29 Q1 Steph P&R Dray again
8m10 Q1 JK baseline fade, prove to me that your attack isn’t there
7m33 Q1 JK falls asleep on Rui catch 3 corner
7m28 Q1 Steph near-TTBTTOT but kickball AD (wow)
6m24 Q1 JK another 3 attempt sigh
6m01 Q1 Steph no call vs DLo (refs calling this like a playoff game)
5m40 Q1 Dray gassed
5m13 Q1 good close Klay vs SD — only Wiggs and Steph stay on (Loon, Mo, Les)
4m49 Q1 Loon bad pass
4m37 Q1 Klay switch onto AD, foul in post
3m39 Q1 Les travel
2m34 Q1 Loon (someone finally does something)
2m08 Q1 BP good close, then Loon to BP floater
1m36 Q1 JK helps wing for BP, but leaves DLo in corner (another play: JK kicked out vs 3 Lakers, could’ve shot it, I wouldn’t have minded)
1m26 Q1 JK attack good (no and1)
0m58 Q1 Klay strip of AD
0m42 Q1 Les another tov
0m09 Q1 BP 28th charge vs AD
0m04 Q1 JK nice downhill vs AD (2nd pf) but misses FT
42:15 BP 28, Brunson 24 charges taken
11m23 Q2 BP bad alley to TJD
11m08 Q2 Hayes easy putback over Dario
10m38 Q2 Wiggs bad pass
10m16 Q2 Klay bad 3, TJD got loose ball, put-in and1 (saves the day)
9m57 Q2 TJD too much help for BP
9m00 Q2 Klay to TJD alley
8m39 Q2 BP to TJD bad inbound
8m15 Q2 TJD off ground quickly putback own
8m00 Q2 Klay good phys vs DLo, TJD block, 94ft
7m22 Q2 Steph TJD P&R, TJD off the ground quickly again
5m55 Q2 Steph hero 3 no good
5m24 Q2 Dray nice pass to Klay no good 2
4m58 Q2 Dray 15-foot bank
4m44 Q2 Klay good close TP
4m39 Q2 Steph draws foul on SD, rejoices (Kogut)
4m11 Q2 JK swatted by AD
3m54 Q2 Drayup!
3m24 Q2 Dray yells at BP, to Steph inside fade
2m47 Q2 Steph great D on Christie
2m28 Q2 BP 3 via JK doubled
2m15 Q2 Rui forearm post BP not called, Dray foul but says all ball
2m00 Q2 Lakers scramble, BP corner 3
0m20 Q2 crazy sequence, Steph pass tipped, BP, Dray passes up 2v1
0m05 Q2 Wiggs one-handed putback
1:20:00 142nd time Steph has had 5 threes in a half
1:21:00 @Dean Agan get JK more dunk opps — Seems like we aren’t going with inverted screens with Steph, so that’s been taken away and Lakers packing the paint when JK has the ball, AD usually leaves Dray open. Good job since Q1 tho. If you settle for a shot early and you miss it, then you just made the defense play no defense.
1:27:00 NOP 12 games over .500 but Kerr told BP and team that they should be eyeing 5th seed
9m45 Q3 JK forgot to cut
9m16 Q3 Dray passed up open spot, LAL didn’t fall for it, Steph 3 push shot
8m29 Q3 Steph invert screen for JK dunk (Dean Agan!)
8m08 Q3 JK playing zone?
7m17 Q3 JK downhill but Wiggs miss 3
7m12 Q3 good close Dray vs AR
5m55 Q3 Mo base dunk
5m00 Q3 Wiggs block AD, Klay fake 3, no look lefty dime to Wiggs
4m36 Q3 Klay deflection
3m34 Q3 Dray tells Les to pick, cuts, gets ball and1
1m56 Q3 gave up a corner 3, -8 seventeen point lead
1m20 Q3 JK jabs on P&R again, does not attack
0m50 Q3 Loon screen for Klay 3
0m06 Q3 JK putback after Steph inverted P&R
1:59:00 Les maybe not as focused after getting converted
2:00:30 @Nicole Diaz Hard disagree. Klay is not like that, for one. Number Two, he’ll get an offer from some team for $30M. He’s in good shape. Up to him to stay with GSW.
11m50 Q4 corner 3 LAL, Klay says my bad
11m16 Q4 Wiggs lets SD get past
11m10 Q4 Rui tap oreb on FT over Dario
10m51 Q4 Wiggs jump hook push shot good, important bucket to break ddrought
10m05 Q4 wow no call on Spencer Dinwiddie attack of BP
9m55 Q4 good cut Wiggs, then stay there post-up vs DLo
9m16 Q4 Wiggs BP confused in trans vs DLo 3
8m58 Q4 bad trans D by Wiggs, SD 94ft
8m36 Q4 Klay pinpoint lob to TJD dunk
7m12 Q4 Mo box out AD, AR 3 trickles out of bounds wide open (Steph forgot)
6m40 Q4 Mo oreb, JK dunk past Taurean
HERE
6m14 Q4 Klay great help and close
6m00 Q4 JK tells TJD and Klay to run gravity play
2:13:45 analyzing the last play: JK is still rookie Steph age
5m12 Q4 TJD wins tip vs Hayes
5m00 Q4 TJD tap out Mo dunk down lane
2:21:00 only 1 tov 2nd half (9 overall)
2:32:30 WSH now starting Coulibaly over Poole, Wes Unseld Jr. moved to front office, Brian Keefe
2:41:45 analyzing the Hornets’ 5-game winning streak
2:45:45 Miles Bridges vs Wiggs tomorrow interesting (Wiggs’ wife’s sister was Bridges’ wife)
2:47:30 Seth Curry info:
2:49:45 Ruckus: YT search: ” Durant on Brian Keefe: “He wouldn’t take any credit for it, but he taught me everything I know”
2:50:00 Starman: Apparently Dray made his first second-half three of the season today
2:52:15 Podziemski credited TJD’s good game with… his birthday!
2:54:15 Dan Woike tweets that Lakers report AD has lost his voice
2:55:00 Warriors social post of Draymond singing in tunnel
2:56:00 LeBron probably played ASG and risked ankle because it was his 20th
2:57:00 STEVE POSTGAME AUDIO: on Trayce/Klay combo and CP coming back probably takes Quinones minutes
3:00:00 Dean Agan: so GP2 will take back Moody’s minutes when he’s back? — I have no idea
3:02:00 picking the top 4 unsung plays: TJD tip-in on Wiggs lost ball, Wiggs block and jump hook, Kuminga calling a play, TJD tap out to Mo then 2hand dunk off drive
3:08:30 TJD PODIUM AUDIO NOW ON
3:18:00 held the Lakers to under 30 every quarter — can’t remember the last time we did that
3:22:30 still lead the league with 37 clutch games (ATL 35)
3:23:00 Dean Agan: last time we were 2 games above 500 was early in the season in Nov. We were 6-4.
3:24:45 Steph will relish Seth checking into the game at 4m58 probably (like tonight) tomorrow
3:35:00 only retired number for Charlotte is No. 13 Bobby Phills
3:35:30 WIGGS POSTGAME AUDIO: Shivansh says “every answer Wiggs gives starts with with ummm” — If 10 ummms leads to a Wiggs chuckle, I’ll take it lol; Starman: “Wiggins smile gotta be the best smile”; Noemi: “Wiggs has millions smiles”
3:44:45 Shane Young: This is Stephen Curry’s 142nd time making at least 5 threes in a half. Sounds good, right? Well, that’s more than double the next player, Klay Thompson (68).
https://twitter.com/YoungNBA/status/1760881811562037281
3:45:15 we love this version of Klay, Dean: “good luck playing the Warriors with Sixth Man Klay” — GAME SIXTH MAN KLAY
3:47:00 Unsung play of the game!
Kuminga calling a play (45%)
Wiggs block and jump hook (33%)
TJD tap out to Mo, 2hand drive dunk (12%)
TJD tip in via lost Wiggs ball (9%)
Poll complete: 33 votes
3:48:30 Arbel says S/O Jamal Crawford for giving advice to Klay, credit Draymond for saying he didn’t know that
3:49:45 Dean Agan: we only had 9 turnovers vs the Lakers. That’s the same number vs the loss to the clippers. For the month of Feb, that’s our lowest TO score – 9.
3:50:30 STEPH POSTGAME AUDIO: says he’s avoiding arguing with refs because it’s distracting
3:55:45 Wiggs is 12/25 in last six games on threes
3:57:30 “Game Sixth Man” Klay?
Yes (85%)
No (14%)
Poll complete: 14 votes
3:58:30 Cholo: when cp3 comes back, you’ll have unlimited P&Rs. CP3xDario + KlayxTJD.
👍👍💛💙