Just like that, Warriors are back to near-perfection
And that’s what the Golden State Warriors look like when everything’s clicking once again. They’re nearly perfect.
The Warriors were nearly perfect in one regard. They made their first 21 uncontested shots (then ended the game by missing their last three when the game was not in doubt). They were 10-of-10 in the first half, much better than the San Antonio Spurs, who were 10-of-21.
With the win, the Warriors joined the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls as the only teams to win 70 games in a season.
Golden State’s chances of winning 73 games jumped to 24 percent. The Warriors need to win three straight to do so, with road games upcoming over the weekend against the Memphis Grizzlies and Spurs (who haven’t lost at home this season).
How else did the Warriors get back to form on Thursday?
They were nearly perfect in the paint … for a quarter. They shot 13-of-14 in the paint in the third quarter, a period in which they went 16-of-20 overall. They followed that up by making 4 of 6 paint shots in the fourth quarter.
Their passing was highly effective. They went 33-of-48 (69 percent) on shots off a pass, their fourth-best performance in that stat this season. They were 26-of-32 in the first three quarters.
Stephen Curry won from 2-point range rather than 3-point range in this game. He made eight 2-point shots, which is one fewer than the number he made in the previous two games against the Spurs combined.
The Aldridge impact
The other factor in this game was an injury that turned the outcome a bit. After LaMarcus Aldridge left with a dislocated right pinky, the Spurs missed nine of their next 11 shots, and the Warriors put the game out of reach with a 14-0 run.
