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Warriors Win Streak Hits Six as Curry Torches Giannis and the Heat
The Warriors win streak is now a legitimate storyline in the Western Conference. Golden State opened the season 0-3, and on Thursday night at Chase Center it pushed that run to six straight with a 120-100 victory over the Miami Heat. Stephen Curry scored 29 points with six three-pointers, and a makeshift frontcourt led by Draymond Green and 40-year-old Al Horford kept Giannis Antetokounmpo from taking over.
The Warriors are 6-3, while Miami fell to 3-6 nine games into the Giannis Antetokounmpo era. Here is how the night unfolded and what comes next.
How the Warriors Win Streak Reached Six
Miami came out sharper than expected. The Heat built an early 10-point lead, led 29-26 after one quarter and went into the break tied, even though they were playing the second night of a back-to-back after an overtime win over the Clippers.
Curry was quiet in the opening half, shooting 2-for-10. Will Richard, starting again for Golden State, supplied most of the early offense and was the only Warrior in double figures at the half. Then the third quarter flipped everything.
Golden State took its first lead at 55-53, and Curry took over from there. He hit a pair of threes, then drew three free throws when fouled on another long attempt, pushing the margin to 75-64 and forcing a Heat timeout with 6:09 left in the quarter. The Warriors outscored Miami 38-23 in the frame and carried a 91-76 lead into the fourth, where they never let the game get close.
Curry's Second-Half Takeover
Curry finished 9-of-19 from the floor, 6-of-12 from deep and 5-of-5 at the line in under 28 minutes, and Golden State was +17 with him on the court. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra pointed to the off-ball catch-and-shoot looks Curry found once he got going. Warriors coach Steve Kerr highlighted how quickly Curry can erase a poor stretch in the middle of a game.
Draymond Green's Defense and Playmaking
Green scored only two points, but he handed out 11 assists, a season high, and grabbed five rebounds while starting at center against the Antetokounmpo-Bam Adebayo frontcourt. The Warriors piled up 36 team assists, also a season best, and blocked nine shots. Antetokounmpo still finished with 20 points and 14 rebounds, but he scored just once in the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter.
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg marveled at one stop in particular. "He literally blocked Giannis," Lendeborg said of Green, and Curry capped the sequence with a splash at the other end.
The Supporting Cast Delivered
Yaxel Lendeborg: 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals in just the ninth game of his NBA career.
Al Horford: eight points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting and a game-best +21 in only 18 minutes.
Georges Niang: 13 points, plus a technical foul after a heated exchange with Miami's Bobby Portis Jr.
Charles Bassey: eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks in 14 minutes. Kerr said after the game that Bassey is earning more minutes.
Why This Warriors Win Streak Matters Without Butler and Porziņģis
The winning run is more impressive given who was not on the floor. Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody, Kristaps Porziņģis and Gui Santos were all inactive Thursday, and the club announced earlier this season that Porziņģis, its expected starting center, would not be around the team in the immediate future. That has pushed the 36-year-old Green into a full-time center role.
Green was ejected Monday against Phoenix after a takedown of Suns center Khaman Maluach that led to a double technical with Dillon Brooks. Even so, the Warriors have found a formula built on ball movement, defensive effort and a deeper bench than many expected. After the 0-3 start, Kerr admitted his players were doubting themselves a bit, but said it is the team's job to prove the doubters wrong.
Heat Fall to 3-6 in the Giannis Era
Miami was coming off an emotional win in Los Angeles, where Klay Thompson's game-winning three capped a comeback from 20 points down against the Clippers. There was no such magic in San Francisco. "We didn't have a lot of juice," Spoelstra said. The Heat shot 13-of-44 from three and committed 19 turnovers.
Davion Mitchell led Miami with 22 points and eight assists, Antetokounmpo had 20 and 14, Adebayo added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and rookie Ryan Conwell scored 13. Andrew Wiggins went 1-for-6 for two points. Thompson, back in the Bay Area, finished with 11 points and called the team "very much still a work in progress." Miami plays Sunday at Sacramento and Tuesday at Utah before a five-game homestand.
Around the NBA: Suns Snap Skid, NBA Cup Games Tip Off Friday
Elsewhere Thursday, the Phoenix Suns beat the Orlando Magic 117-104. Devin Booker scored 30 points and Dillon Brooks added 24 as Phoenix ended a four-game losing streak. On Friday, nine games are on the schedule, including Philadelphia at Cleveland and Portland at the Lakers on Prime Video. Final scores were not confirmed when this story was written, so check the official NBA scoreboard.
What to Watch Next for the Warriors Win Streak
Golden State hosts the Orlando Magic on Saturday night as it tries to extend the run to seven. Three things to track:
Frontcourt minutes: Will Kerr give Bassey a bigger role next to Green and Horford?
Lendeborg's growth: The rookie is already handling a heavy load when Curry and Green sit.
Availability updates: Butler and Porziņģis were not in uniform Thursday, so check the team's injury report before Saturday's tip.
The bottom line: the Warriors win streak is built on Curry's shooting, Green's versatility and a bench that keeps changing games, and it has Golden State back in the Western Conference race.
Statistics and quotes come from the official box score and postgame reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle, the South Florida Sun Sentinel and ESPN. Images are licensed under Creative Commons via Wikimedia Commons.
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