warriors game day (Photo: @nbaupdates_ Instagram account)
BANKERS LIFE FIELDHOUSE, INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Klay Thompson saved the day for the Golden State Warriors. Here are some sights and sounds from the game, with the call on KNBR from Tim Roye, Thompson’s buzzer-beating highlight, and post-game reactions from coach Mark Jackson and Jermaine O’Neal.
PRE-GAME
We take you back to the day before the game, when the Warriors arrived at the Indiana Pacers. There was a shooting contest that Coach Jackson won handily against Stephen Curry, that was preceded by Nemanja Nedovic‘s alley oop dunk, assisted by a Curry bounce off the wall!
It happened to be Draymond Green‘s birthday yesterday, the day of the game. Also, Jackson has his own place at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in a hallway of Pacers legends.
IN-GAME
It was tight throughout the first quarter, with the Warriors leading 21-19 with 2:59 remaining. The #SplashBrothers had 7 points apiece to go along with Curry’s good start with 4 assists and zero turnovers, but Paul George came out blazing hot with not only 12 points, but also 8 rebounds. By the end of the first quarter, it was Warriors 25, Pacers 21.
By halftime, other factors were coming into play and Curry had 9 points and 6 assists, while George also cooled off and had 14 points, 8 rebounds. The Warriors’ bench held the fort and then some. By 5:47 of the third quarter, it was tied at 58-58. Another Curry triple-double watch was underway as he had collected 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists up until this point. Here’s some halftime human bowling at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
It was Warriors 73, #Pacers 68, at end of three quarters and #DubNation was out even in the basketball-rich state of Indiana. Later with 8:36 to go, the Warriors built up a ten-point lead at 84-74. Thompson had scored 9 straight points for the Warriors and the bench continued their great play.
The second half was a struggle as the Pacers decided to put the long-armed George on Curry. Here’s a nice courtside shot of Curry’s difficulties on the right.
The Pacers came back as the Warriors saw their double-digit lead melt away. There was even a broken play where Andre Iguodala dislocated his finger — it was put back in place and he returned shortly thereafter — and David Lee picked up the loose ball and flung it in the basket. With 47.3 seconds left and the game tied at 96-96, the Warriors had the ball in prime position for a 2-for-1 but Curry stepped on the sideline for a turnover. The Pacers took a shot too late for their own 2-for-1, the Dubs got the ball back, and Thompson made history.
Here are highlights of the game-winning bucket, one with the CSN Bay Area call and one from the legendary Tim Roye on KNBR radio.
POST-GAME
The bench had a huge role in yesterday’s win over the Pacers. Jermaine O’Neal said postgame the bench is “getting quite comfortable”, especially with Jordan Crawford and Steve Blake. Jackson, here with the shimmy from his days with the Pacers, told reporters, “If you’re with us, be with us.” He smirked when he said it, though.
This morning on KNBR and calling in from Boston, Thompson, here signing autographs for #DubNation in Indiana, said this about #Roaracle and taking advantage of 13 of the last 20 games at home: “Come playoff time, you know how it is, fans are standing up for the 2nd part of the game the whole time.”
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