National Basketball Association
Golden State 109, Atlanta 105
When: 10:30 PM ET, Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Officials:
#8 Marc Davis, #20 Leroy Richardson, #66 Haywoode Workman
Attendance:
19596
By The Sports Xchange
OAKLAND, Calif. -- When Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr had an inkling that star point guard Stephen Curry would have to sit out the Tuesday night game against the Atlanta Hawks, he reminded his players that meant 25 to 30 shots were up for grabs.
All eyes immediately turned to shooting guard Klay Thompson, which wasn't the message Kerr hoped to deliver.
Fortunately, it wasn't the message his team received, either.
Thompson scored a game-high 26 points, but it was center Andrew Bogut's season-best, 19-point effort and key tip-in with 1:51 remaining in overtime that allowed the Warriors to keep their home-court winning streak alive with a 109-105 victory.
"I'm not surprised," Thompson said of Bogut's clutch performance in the absence of Curry, who sat out due to a strained left ankle. "(Bogut) does such a good job on lobs around the basket. And he made some big free throws tonight."
Indeed, Bogut made three of four from the line late in regulation to help Golden State stave off a Hawks rally. However, his biggest offensive contribution came when he followed in a Draymond Green miss in overtime, extending a one-point lead to three rather than allowing Atlanta a possession that could have given the Hawks the lead.
"I thought everybody was aggressive, and that was the key," Kerr said. "A lot of great contributions."
Thompson had seven points in the extra session, and Green buried a back-breaking, desperation 3-pointer with 40.2 seconds remaining, allowing the Warriors (54-5) to win a 43rd straight at home with their fifth overtime victory of the season.
Thompson, whose short jumper with 11.4 seconds remaining secured the narrow win, led all scorers despite shooting just 8-for-27. He did make six 3-pointers in 16 attempts.
Bogut hit eight of nine shots, and Green contributed 15 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists and four steals, helping Golden State complete a two-game, season-series sweep over the Hawks, having won 102-92 in Atlanta last week during a game in which Curry scored 36.
"What a game," Thompson said. "No excuses, but we were down two MVPs (NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Andre Iguodala also sat out with hamstring tightness). It feels good to win. Any means necessary."
The Warriors, who have clinched a Western Conference playoff spot, improved to 2-1 this season in games without Curry.
Small forward Harrison Barnes (12 points), backup guard Leandro Barbosa (11) and reserve center Marreese Speights (10) also scored in double figures for the Warriors, who began a stretch in which they will play 17 of their final 24 games at home.
"Terrific victory," Kerr said. "Our guys stayed with it. Every single guy who played contributed. Great team effort."
Power forward Paul Millsap had 19 points despite 5-for-17 shooting to lead the Hawks, who were playing the opener of a five-game trip. It was his miss on a wide-open, 3-point attempt with 24.3 seconds remaining and the score tied at 97 that led to Atlanta's eventual demise.
"Another tough loss," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "They made a couple of tough shots, crazy shots, and offensively we didn't get quite enough to go down for us. We've just got to keep getting work in to get better on that end."
Center Al Horford, hitting a 3-pointer for a 10th consecutive game, had 17 points for Atlanta, as did backup point guard Dennis Schroder.
Small forward Kent Bazemore (15 points), shooting guard Kyle Korver (11) and backup big man Mike Scott (11) also scored in double figures for the Hawks, who remained winless in four overtime efforts this season.
"There ... continues to be a lot of positives," Budenholzer said. "It turned into a heck of a game."
Atlanta (33-28) trailed 95-90 before Korver ended a 4:13 scoring drought with a 3-pointer and Schroder converted a drive to draw the Hawks even at 95-all with 1:22 to go.
Each team added a pair of free throws and had a subsequent shot at a regulation win. After Millsap misfired on his 3-pointer, Thompson couldn't connect on a tough 15-footer with five seconds remaining.
The Warriors led most of the first 48 minutes, but the Hawks scored on six consecutive possessions early in the fourth quarter to complete a comeback after they were down by as many as 14 points early on.
They took their first lead since 20-19 on a jumper by reserve guard Tim Hardaway Jr. on the final possession of the run, going up 88-87 with 6:59 left.
There were three subsequent ties sandwiching two lead changes, setting up the overtime.
NOTES: The NBA record for consecutive home wins is 44, set by the Chicago Bulls from March 30, 1995, to April 4, 1996. The Warriors will attempt to tie that mark Thursday night at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder. ... The Warriors played consecutive overtime games for the first time since December 2005. ... The decision to hold out Warriors PG Stephen Curry (strained left ankle) and SF Andre Iguodala (tight left hamstring) was made about 75 minutes before tipoff. Neither injury is considered to be a long-term concern. ... Curry was on hand to receive acknowledgement from the home crowd for having won his fourth Western Conference Player of the Week honor of the season last week (Feb. 22-28) when he averaged 43.8 points per game on 60.8 percent shooting from the field, including 33 of 54 (61.1 percent) from 3-point range. ... The Hawks acquired veteran PF Kris Humphries off waivers Tuesday and had him available to play, though he didn't get off the bench.
Top Game Performances
Atlanta |
|
Golden State |
Paul Millsap 19 |
Scoring |
Klay Thompson 26 |
Dennis Schroder 9 |
Assists |
Draymond Green 9 |
Kent Bazemore 9 |
Rebounds |
Draymond Green 13 |
Paul Millsap 8 |
Free Throws Made |
Klay Thompson 4 |
Kyle Korver 3 |
Steals |
Draymond Green 4 |
Paul Millsap 4 |
Blocks |
Andrew Bogut 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Atlanta
|
105 |
46.2 |
12-33 |
19-24 |
25 |
42 |
5 |
9 |
17 |
Golden State
|
109 |
39.8 |
12-36 |
15-17 |
28 |
51 |
3 |
11 |
13 |
Upcoming Games
-
Golden State will play their next game at home against Oklahoma City. The Warriors have a W/L % of .907 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
-
Atlanta will play their next game on the road against L.A. Lakers. The Hawks have a W/L % of .545 after a win and .536 after a loss.