Dubs’ winning streak hasn’t always been pretty, but his progress originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SAN FRANCISCO — There were times, boy, were there that presented justifiable cause for groans and groans among the fan base. The deeper the game, the faster the impulses enter the Chase Center.
But that the Warriors can call progress. The proof is mathematical.
The Warriors are off to their first four-game winning streak of the season and they’re back above .500 for the first time in three weeks.
They won it the hardest way possible, sprinting to an 18-point lead over the Trail Blazers in the first quarter, trailing 11 points late in the third quarter, then digging their souls out in the last 13. minutes to somehow find a second game in a row. – winning return.
Golden State’s 118-112 win Friday night at Chase Center was both resilience and deception. Resilience has won this battle.
“We stuck with that,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We had to gather energy. With the fourth game in six nights, we had some lulls, but the guys kept competing, fighting. The defensive effort down the stretch was fantastic.
No one among the Warriors has symbolized their ups and downs more than the thrill ride that is Jordan Poole. He was by turns wonderful and fearsome, scoring 41 points and committing seven turnovers – the last of which came in the last minute.
It’s quite the feat to commit so many turnovers and complete a team record plus-18, but JP pulled it off.
“Forty-one points, six assists…seven turnovers,” Draymond Green said, clearly embracing the totals. “Someone else can cry about it. I’m not.”
No, it was a night to enjoy. Savored. Golden State’s fourth-quarter defense was almost as outstanding, allowing Portland just 16 points only two nights earlier while limiting Utah to 13 points.
The impossibility of closing – so evident on the road – seems to have vanished within the confines of the house.
Told the Warriors have their first four-game winning streak of the season, Draymond was clearly pleased.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “It’s absolutely amazing.”
Starting with three days off after a disastrous road trip through the Eastern Conference, recent conditions have been relatively optimal for a Warriors team without Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins. And the record shows that they took full advantage of it.
There was the dramatic victory over the fearsome Memphis Grizzlies on Christmas Day, followed by a stunning finish to put away the Charlotte Hornets, then come back the following night to snatch victory from the Utah Jazz. Not always pretty, but very effective.
And now this game in which they punished the Blazers early, got submissive in the middle of two quarters and got downright vicious in the fourth.
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The Warriors are 4-0 halfway through their longest home stay of the season. They have a good chance of taking the next four, against the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns.
It is progress. It’s not always pretty. But given the circumstances, winning four straight games while two All-Stars watch from the bench is a lot of goodness the Warriors can build.
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