James Harden shooting at 3 in overtime, via Jose Carlos Fajardo, East Bay Times
January 4, 2019 — WHAT A LOSS, amiright?
Warriors played the Houston Rockets Thursday night in Oracle Arena and lost in OT. James Harden scored an “impossible” game winning three-point shot, guarded by Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, leaving the Warriors with 1.0 second left on the clock. I put quotes around impossible because we are in the era of insanely made three-point-shots.
Let’s talk some stats. Warriors were winning by 20 points early in the game. Somehow during the fourth the defense eased up, allowing Harden to hit back-to-back three’s in OT. Throughout the second half the team started playing more iso-ball, resulting in more turnovers and more opportunities for the Rockets to get back into the game. Teams have been thriving off our turnovers this season; it is the main way teams are able to come back during the final minutes.
Previously, when games were down to the wire, as a fan I loved it. The adrenaline rush was always satisfied with a win. Everyone is hitting their 3’s, playing better defense handling the ball better. In order for the Warriors to stay on top, they have to adjust these tiny mistakes. Teams are hungry to brag about a victory against Golden State.
By the third quarter Harden was back in the groove, hitting all his three’s and scored a total of 44 points 15 assists and 10 rebounds 😳 This was Hardens second triple-double and 40 point performance this week, obviously he was hungry for this W. Let’s not forget Hard went to the line 27 times Monday night. The man is the king of getting fouled.
Following the fourth quarter performance it was obvious the Warriors were playing Houston’s game. When Gerald Green chucked up a three, we attempted a three, resulting in a possession by Houston. As the game continued into OT, the Warrior offense was not working in a cohesive fashion. Here is a prime example, “How efficient were the Warriors in the second half? Steph Curry and Kevin Durant shot 3 for 17 combined in the fourth quarter. Klay Thompson, who was 8-13 in the first half, finished the game 11 for 20…Shots like this one by Durant epitomized the Warriors decision-making on offense in the second half:” (blogs.mercurynews.com, RobertL)
Warriors vs Kings
This game beat the record of most three-point-shots during a regular season NBA game 😳 I mentioned earlier that all teams are hungrier this year. The Kings have played exceptionally well each time they compete against the Warriors. Buddy Hield, man was he lightning that night, he hit three after three, helping the Kings end the half 69-70.
The Warriors are known for their fast paced offense, and teams around the league usually can’t keep up with them. However, this years Sacramento Kings team thrives on making the game a track meet. This year the Kings are second in the league when it comes to pace, compared to the Warriors who are currently…tenth. De’arron Fox is the main catalyst for the Kings and possibly the fastest person in the league. GM Vlade Divac has surrounded Fox with nothing but athletes to keep up with his drive.
The Warriors had a double digit lead early in the game, and it looked like Golden State would have a blowout W on their hands, but this Kings team continued to fight. Steph Curry was HOT ending the game with 42 points 🔥 After the loss to Houston, Warriors made major adjustments to their offense in the fourth which resulted in a win. The team also played championship level defense late in the second half, which the Kings are not used to. The Kings performed well in this fast-paced game, until the Warriors caused more late turnovers, resulting in points on the board.
I’m sure the next matchup for these two will be just as exciting with great offense from Fox and his shooters.
thesportsnote 