In many ways, swingman Reggie Williams represents the dichotomy
that is the Warriors right now. In Golden State’s 109-100 loss to
the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, Williams was rolling on offense. He
finished with a team-high 25 points on 10-for-14 shooting.
INDIANAPOLIS
In many ways, swingman Reggie Williams represents the dichotomy that is the Warriors right now.
In Golden State’s 109-100 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, Williams was rolling on offense. He finished with a team-high 25 points on 10-for-14 shooting, including five three-pointers. But . . .
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“It was a half a game because there is another side of the floor,” coach Keith Smart said, “It’s fantastic. The stat sheet will tell you it was a great night for Reggie Williams. But the film will tell me another story.”
The Warriors have lost four straight. They’ve dropped the first two on this seven-game road trip, both against losing teams.
The culprit in both games was the defense. Sunday, the Warriors gave up 126 points to a Minnesota team that hadn’t topped 95 in six games. Then on Tuesday, the Pacers scored 109 — some 10 points above their average and their highest output in their past five home games.
Pacers forward Danny Granger, who was 16 for 16 from the line, scored 10 of his 27 in the fourth quarter, including eight free throws. Over the last 12 minutes, Indiana made half its shots and was 7 for 7 in the paint.
Smart said he has two teams. One team, the starters, is playing well on offense but getting torched on defense. Then he brings in the other team, the reserve squad that includes rookie big man Ekpe Udoh, pressuring guards Acie Law and Jeremy Lin and forward Vladimir Radmanovic. That’s Smart’s defensive team. The players hustle and scrap to get the Warriors back in it. Problem is, they can’t score.
Smart said his task will be to find the balance. Easier said than done.
“We played pretty good defense the second quarter,” Stephen Curry said after totaling 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds. “Rest of the game, they got whatever they wanted. . . . I can’t really put my finger on it. We have a lot of effort. It’s just . . . I don’t really know, to be honest with you.”
How about you, guard Monta Ellis?
“I wish I knew. If I knew that, we’d do something different. I don’t know right now. I guess this is just our time (to struggle). But it’s not the right time.”
The Warriors lost control of the game in the third quarter, as was the case at Minnesota on Sunday and vs. Boston on Feb. 22.
Golden State’s three-point halftime lead was up to 52-47 after Dorell Wright knocked down a 3-pointer at the 10:05 mark. But in less than two minutes, the Warriors lost the lead. They missed a layup and two jumpers, with a turnover mixed in. Brandon Rush capped a 7-0 Pacers run with a fast-break layup and the foul.
Two more turnovers and a missed layup later, the Warriors were down six. By the end of the quarter, they were down nine. When Curry’s missed jumper turned into a fast-break dunk by the Pacers’ Paul George, the Warriors trailed 87-75 with just under eight minutes left.
Golden State did make a run at the end of the game. A Williams 3-pointer from the top cut Indiana’s lead to 103-100 with 1:03 left. The Warriors got the stop they needed, but Wright missed an open 3-pointer from the corner that would’ve tied it.
Now, whatever shot the Warriors have left comes down to Wednesday’s game at Washington. Once again, Golden State gets another losing team. The Wizards are one of the worst. It all depends on which team shows up.
“This is a good team if we’re not fighting from 10 (points down),” Smart said. “Let’s be even. If we can play teams even, we have a shot to be really, really good.”
— Story by Marcus Thompson II, Contra Costa Times
