THOMAS & MACK CENTER, LAS VEGAS, NV — A day after getting 17 consecutive defensive stops against the Sacramento Kings, the 12th-seeded Golden State Warriors held the 5th-seeded New York Knicks to just 2-for-18 shooting in the second quarter, en route to a 76-54 drubbing of the Knicks, who were undefeated in three games entering the match.
The win enabled the Warriors to the quarterfinal round of eight remaining teams in the quest for the 2015 NBA Summer League championship.
Golden State started out sluggish again, but clamped down on defense, actually holding New York to 14 consecutive field goal misses between the first and second quarters.
“I told the guys, it looks like we’ve found our identity that’s hard to do in the Summer League where the time is limited,” said head coach Luke Walton. “Since the 2nd quarter of that Sacramento game, where we held them to 17 straight stops, our team has really started to take pride and joy in putting in the effort into the defensive end and that’s the most exciting part from the coaching staff.”
James Michael McAdoo paced the Warriors with 16 points and 9 rebounds, including 6-for-7 from the free throw line, while Golden State’s bench provided energy and punch.
Matt Stainbrook went 3-for-7 from the field for 10 points, with a couple of jump hooks while hitting all four of his free throws, and Chasson Randle got timely shots to fall, going 2-for-6 from beyond the arc as well as 5-for-6 from the charity stripe.
Outside of Dominique Sutton, who was scoreless from the field and just 3-for-10 on free throws, but was still active with 6 rebounds, the Warriors combined to go 23-for-26 from the line, making the most of their foul opportunities.
First-round draft pick Kevon Looney, who came off the bench again, showed off a bevy of moves for the Warriors, in scoring 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting and grabbing 9 rebounds in just 21 minutes of play.
Looney’s repertoire of skills included a catch-and-pivot jumper from the right elbow that he swished, and an up-fake on a three-pointer, then two dribbles to the baseline for a fade-away that also swished.
Looney utilized another up-fake from the right elbow, spun middle, and dished a bounce pass to a waiting David Kravish for the open reverse layup.
Most impressive was yet another up-fake on a three-pointer from the top of the arc, then two dribbles to the right, only to crossover on a reverse between-the-legs from right to left, pulling up for a jumper.
“He’s a talented, talented basketball player,” said Walton. “He brings a lot to a team from that ‘4’ position because he’s obviously shown he can step it back to the three-point line and even dribbling and playmaking off the dribble too, which I didn’t even think he’d be able to do that so quickly in this league.”
Looney’s play drew the attention of NBA highlight videographer @DawkinsMTA, who compiled this highlight reel:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgSUCOmphR4&w=560&h=315]The Warriors will face the undefeated New Orleans Pelicans Saturday night at 7:00PM PDT. The Pelicans are led by former Santa Cruz Warriors guard Seth Curry, who is leading the Summer League with 25.2 points per game, although he’s just 5-for-27 (18.5%) from beyond the arc. The Pelicans are also coached by former Warriors assistant Darren Erman.
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