All the momentum, confidence and good vibes the Golden State
Warriors generated before the All-Star break? Consider those gone,
kaput, careening down a deep and dark garbage chute. Golden State
played its second straight post-break stinker at Oracle Arena on
Friday night, falling 20 points behind by halftime on the way to a
decidedly dispiriting 95-79 defeat to the Atlanta Hawks.
OAKLAND
All the momentum, confidence and good vibes the Golden State Warriors generated before the All-Star break? Consider those gone, kaput, careening down a deep and dark garbage chute.
Golden State played its second straight post-break stinker at Oracle Arena on Friday night, falling 20 points behind by halftime on the way to a decidedly dispiriting 95-79 defeat to the Atlanta Hawks.
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If it wasn’t the Warriors’ worst home loss of the season, it was definitely in the neighborhood. They were never really in it after the opening minutes. They shot just 33.3 percent in the first half, committed 14 turnovers and didn’t make a single 3-pointer. The Hawks never trailed after breaking a 10-10 tie and going on a 15-2 first-quarter run. Things didn’t get much better in the second half.
Beyond the numbers, the Warriors were pretty much flat horrible in every area. They were outrebounded 49-34, and the Hawks closed the first half with a Joe Johnson steal and open-court dunk and opened the second with Jeff Teague duplicating the feat. Atlanta built its lead to as many as 29 in the third quarter and coasted to the victory.
Coach Keith Smart was so discouraged he benched his starters for most of the fourth quarter. Down the stretch, the Warriors played their best basketball of the night with Jeremy Lin and Acie Law at guard and rookie Ekpe Udoh and Lou Amundson in the frontcourt along with Reggie Williams. But it wasn’t nearly enough to get back in the game.
It was a rough all-around night for the Warriors’ starting five. David Lee led Golden State with 20 points but had an atrocious first quarter in which he missed seven of his first nine shots, including several easy ones around the basket. Monta Ellis added 16 points but made just 7 of 21 shots while Stephen Curry and Dorell Wright scored just seven and five points, respectively. Josh Smith led Atlanta with 24 and Al Horford added 20.
If the ugly loss wasn’t bad enough, the Warriors also completed their “make-a-move” stretch in which they played 18 of 22 games at home, finishing a mere 12-10. Now they embark on a seven-game Eastern road trip with their already slim playoff hopes hanging by a thread.
For the second straight game, the Warriors got off to an abysmal start shooting the ball. They missed 18 of their first 23 shots _ Lee the worst offender _ as the Hawks jumped out to as much as a 13-point first quarter lead at 25-12.
Former Warrior Jamal Crawford made a pair of treys during a 15-2 run, the second of which gave Atlanta its largest margin before Lee finally took a pass from Curry and scored on a dunk with 2:08 left. It was Golden State’s only field goal over the final 5:13 of the quarter. The Warriors finished the opening period shooting just 6 for 21 (28.6 percent) while the Hawks shot a healthy 48.1 percent (13 for 27).
Atlanta continued to add to its lead early in the second period, bumping their margin as much 19 at one point, 40-21, on a long Marvin Williams jumper with 8:33 left in the half. Ellis, who only scored four points to that juncture, finally got a hot hand and made four consecutive jumpers over the next 1:27 to briefly get the Warriors back to within striking distance at 40-31.
But then things went sour again. Golden State scored just four points over the final 5:45 of the second quarter and the Hawks steadily built their lead to 20 by halftime, 55-35. They capped the run when Johnson stole the ball from Curry on the Warriors’ final possession and dunked at the halftime buzzer, which prompted a strong chorus of boos from the crowd.
— Story by Carl Steward, The Oakland Tribune
