Golden State defense sparks rout of Denver
The Warriors matched a franchise record with their 16th consecutive home win, crushing Denver 122-79 on Monday.
Klay Thompson scored 22 points, and Stephen Curry had 20 points and eight assists, but the Warriors’ top-ranked defense was credited for what Nuggets coach Brian Shaw called “a good old-fashioned spanking.”
“As (assistant coach Ron) Adams said at halftime, every guy who stepped on the floor played great defense,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “That’s our whole key. We felt like last week we got away from ourselves a little bit defensively.
“I couldn’t be more pleased or more proud of all these guys.”
In two games since their last loss, the Warriors have won by 68 points combined. Monday’s win topped Golden State’s 126-86 victory over Philadelphia on Dec. 30 for the Warriors’ largest margin this season.
The team also set the record for the longest winning streak at home since the Warriors moved to the West Coast. The last time the Warriors won 16 in a row at home was 1959, when they played in Philadelphia.
The Warriors (33-6) led 55-28 at halftime, matching the fewest points they’ve allowed in a half this season.
Kerr credited Curry’s defense on Ty Lawson for setting the tone, as the Nuggets’ scoring leader scored just two points in the first quarter.
“I think individual players are showing better defense than they have. Steph has been phenomenal defensively this year,” Kerr said.
Doing the damage on both ends was the Warriors’ vaunted bench, which scored 67 points and contributed nearly all the points in a 22-2 run that broke open the game in the second quarter. The Warriors’ starters checked out late in the third quarter.
That paved the way for the NBA debut of forward James Michael McAdoo, who signed a 10-day contract after getting called up from the Warriors’ Santa Cruz D-League affiliate – and it was one to remember.
In a sign of how this season has gone for the Warriors, McAdoo earned the game ball for scoring 11 points and grabbing five rebounds in 13 minutes; and defense that won him adoration from the Oracle Arena crowd, which gave him a standing ovation after a blocked shot.
“That’s something I’ll remember for a long time,” McAdoo said.
Curry was fired up just from watching on the bench.
“We’re a big-time supporter in the locker room of guys playing well,” Curry said. “We weren’t searching for plays to cheer for. He was out there crashing the glass on both ends of the floor and protecting the rim and just being physical like he’s supposed to do, so it’s fun to see.”
Kerr credited former coach Mark Jackson for changing the Warriors’ culture into one that emphasized defense. He also praised the new defensive guru, Adams, along with players such as Marreese Speights, David Lee and Leandro Barbosa for playing with high effort even though they’re not known for defense.
“The impressive thing about this team now is they used to be just known as an offensive team, but they’re doing it on the defensive end as well,” Shaw said. “They bought in to what it is they’re trying to do and what their coaching staff is trying to get them to do out there on the floor.”
Kerr, who played 15 NBA seasons, laughed in agreeing that it was “pretty obvious” that the Warriors back then didn’t exactly have defense as a staple of their organization.
That has changed.
This story was originally published January 20, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Golden State defense sparks rout of Denver."