ORACLE ARENA, OAKLAND, CA — The struggling Washington Wizards (40-30), losers of 11 of their past 13 games dating before the All-Star Break, paid a visit to Oakland tonight to face the Golden State Warriors (56-13). It was also the return of Klay Thompson, who had missed the last three games due to a sprained ankle.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Thompson would have a minutes restriction. Everyone else on the roster is healthy and available, except center Ognjen Kuzmic, who is still on assignment in Santa Cruz.
The Wizards were without power forward Kris Humphries (groin) and shooting guard Garrett Temple (hamstring).
1ST QUARTER: Wall Versus Curry
Golden State got off to a rocky start as they missed several layups and threes. After Harrison Barnes started the game off with a left corner trey, the game went two-and-a-half minutes without a bucket as the Warriors missed 4 three-pointers on a variety of opportunities, many of them coming off of offensive rebounds.
John Wall finally broke the drought with a streaking layup, and-one with the foul on Draymond Green. Curry twice made pretty left-handed behind-the-back bounce passes into the lane while going down the left side, but the second one ended with Andrew Bogut missing another Warriors layup. Nene Hilario ended the sequence with a dunk as Wall pushed the ball upcourt.
After a trey by Bradley Beal, Curry dissected the defense and found Green under the hoop to cut the Wizards’ lead to 10-5 with 7:44 to go in the first frame.
Thompson got off to a good start, drilling one of his three shots before departing at the 6:07 mark for Leandro Barbosa. The Warriors then gained momentum, with Curry dribbling past the perimeter then back out and stopping and popping for a triple…
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…getting a steal of Nene’s pass out from the post and pulling up for a three-pointer…
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…and after a missed jumper by Paul Pierce, Bogut tapping the rebound out to Barnes, who streaked down the court for a double-clutch two-handed smash.
Curry kept his stroke going, getting a left baseline catch-and-shoot jumper to swish from about 15 feet, as Bogut delivered a surgical right-handed bounce pass, then Steph got three free throws after leaving his hand in the air as Beal flew by and slapped it. Curry’s three free throws made it 20-14, Warriors, with 2:51 to play.
After David Lee and Festus Ezeli checked in, Curry made a turnover while dribbling down the left side with Wall in pursuit and Marcin Gortat helping. The ball trickled out of bounds and the referee awarded the Wizards the ball. Replays showed that Wall had grabbed Curry’s left dribbling arm. Wall took advantage and went the other way for a pull up jumper.
But later Curry would answer Wall after the Washington point guard dribbled in and pulled up from the short right elbow, but missed. Curry made the same play coming back the other way, but his shot banged in.
Barbosa added a finger roll layup after cutting and receiving the pass from Andre Iguodala, but then missed his next layup on a feed by Curry. However, Lee got the rebound and, after missing the first putback, got fouled on the next and one of two free throws gave the Warriors a slim 27-22 lead with 7.6 seconds remaining.
But Wall took the inbound and went coast-to-coast, getting left baseline fade-away to drop over the helping and arms-outstretched Lee.
Golden State took a 27-24 lead into the second quarter, led by Curry with 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting, 2-for-3 downtown. Wall led the Wizards with 11 points on 4-for-8 field.
2ND QUARTER: #MoBucket5
Another drought started the second frame, as both bench units drew more iron than net, until Beal finally drilled a jumper over Barbosa with 9:07 left.
Luckily for the Warriors, Marreese Speights had just checked in at the 9:33 mark for Ezeli. That’s because Speights would go into #MoBucket5 mode again, drilling four straight jumpers, twice found by Klay, the second of which was a pretty left-handed pass back up top after driving into the lane, and the third assisted by Iguodala.
Wizards head coach Randy Wittman called timeout as the Warriors took a 38-33 lead with 6:28 to go in the half.
Out of the timeout, Washington answered as Kevin Seraphin got a turnaround jump hook to go, Paul Pierce dribbled and popped after a Shaun Livingston turnover, and Nene overpowered Lee on an offensive rebound of a Seraphin miss to dunk it home.
Pierce added another bucket, going between the legs on Iguodala, then dribbling and stopping and popping for a fadeaway swish. Kerr had enough and called timeout with the Wizards now up, 43-40, with 4:16 remaining.
Curry, Green, and Bogut returned to join Iguodala and Thompson, and a floater by Draymond over Nene, a running banker from the right side by Steph as Bogut misdirected with a slip, and two straight Green treys gave the Warriors the lead back, 50-46, with 1:15 left in the half and Wittman calling another timeout.
Gortat got swatted by Bogut and Curry fell down dribbling and getting double-teamed on the right sideline, but the referee called a push on Wall. Curry’s free throws were answered by a Beal three-pointer and Golden State took a 52-49 lead into halftime.
Steph led the Dubs with 15 points, 4 assists, while Green added 10 points, Bogut 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, and Speights 8 points. Wall led the Wizards with 11 points, 5 assists.
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