(Photo: LetsGoWarriors.com Instagram account)
Andrew Bogut showed off the whole repertoire last night as the Golden State Warriors won their ninth straight game and fifth straight on the road, a 112-96 blowout win at the Washington Wizards, rendering the highly anticipated John Wall versus Stephen Curry matchup at point guard trivial.
First off, highlights:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OtLFixVggw?list=UUcN82aNEyn_h5K44YgjNHRQ&w=560&h=315]
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFxSY0FbRIg?list=UUcN82aNEyn_h5K44YgjNHRQ&w=560&h=315]
The highlight: Bogut’s alley oop slam off of a backboard “pass” from Curry, in which we will probably never know if he actually intended to do, or at least somewhat slipped off his hands.
The lead-in:
Jimmy Durkin of the Bay Area News Group:
The Warriors began the third quarter on a 30-5 run to break open what was a tied game at halftime.
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“That’s the kind of runs good teams put on,” Andrew Bogut said. “No disrespect to the Wizards, but we thought we were a better team. If we could turn it on and get this lead out, we’d win the game.”
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Klay Thompson paced Golden State with 26 points, and David Lee had 21 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Bogut was as active as he’s been all season with 15 points, 11 rebounds and a season-high tying four blocks. Stephen Curry added 14 points and 10 assists.
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The Warriors were upset with allowing 36 points in the first quarter and weren’t pleased overall with a first half that left the game tied at 58. They found their defense in the third quarter and that led to easy offense.
Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle:
This incarnation of the Warriors certainly looked like a contender in the third quarter, when it scored the first 13 points and took a 71-58 lead on a David Lee jumper. During the run, Andrew Bogut made a 17-foot jumper and then slammed home a pass that Stephen Curry tossed to him off the backboard.
From Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area:
Bogut was, in addition to his season-high offense, a massive factor elsewhere, finishing with 11 rebounds, four blocks, two steals and two assists in 26 minutes.
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The Warriors moved to 18-3 with their regular starting lineup – Bogut, Lee, Andre Iguodala, Thompson and Curry.
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STANDOUT PERFORMANCE: Thompson and Bogut share the Game Ball for this victory. They combined to score 16 of the Warriors’ first 22 points and were key contributors to the third quarter rally.
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There also were continued signs of Harrison Barnes coming out of his weeks-long funk. In addition to 15 points (on 4-of-6 shooting), the second-year forward added five rebounds and two assists.
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INJURY UPDATE: Forward Draymond Green left the game early in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be a lower leg injury. He will be evaluated and his status is still to be determined.
PRE-GAME SIGHTS
Just as the San Francisco 49ers took care of business against the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Wild Card game, the 2nd half of the Warriors game got underway:
More sights to click:
- Pre-game shot of Verizon Center in Washington DC
- Watching both the 49ers and Warriors
- #DubNation representing at Verizon Center (Kent Bazemore jersey)
- Curry/Thompson and Wall/Bradley Beal as No. 1 and 2, respectively, in top-scoring backcourts
IN-GAME SIGHTS AND SOUNDS:
Curry’s incredible up-n-under layup:
More sights to click:
- Warriors general manager Bob Myers in the stands
- Andre Iguodala shooting a free throw (photo by @ryanko)
- #DubNation representing in the lower level at Verizon Center (Barnes jersey and then some)
- Bogut’s exhaustive career list of injuries
POST-GAME SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
Curry video bombs Lee’s interview:
Quotes:
- Head coach Mark Jackson: “We are exactly who we thought we were. It’s important for us to continue to play good, solid basketball. There’s going to be peaks and valleys over the course of the year. I’ve got a great group that refuses to let go of the rope. We’re proud of where we are but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
- Jackson: “It puts into perspective the history of this franchise and how far in a short period we’ve been able to turn it around with great moves by ownership and management and spectacular players that have bought in…Now the thing is sustaining it. It’s an heck of an accomplishment, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
- Lee: “We played the kind of basketball we’re capable of playing…At this point in the season, we’re not too concerned about (being in first place). We’re more concerned that we’re playing the right kind of ball right now. We’re finding ways to get wins…We’ve been looking for that consistency since the start of the season. It looks like we’ve finally found it. We’ve just got to keep it going.”
- Bogut: “We spoke at halftime about not wanting to let this game become a factor at the end of the season. This is a game that we thought we had to win.”
golden state warriors recap
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