Here are 10 thoughts on the game:
1) This was a gritty comeback win by the Warriors for sure, but it should have never taken a furious run in the second half to get the victory. The Bucks came into the game 26th in offensive efficiency, averaging 95 points a game. They had 93 in three quarters. Most of that damage was done by MCW, who was able to drive into the lane at will and leverage his height over Stephen Curry for free shots and pin-point passes. The Warriors defense was also gored by the Bucks interior passing. Milwaukee was 14-20 in the paint, jumping out to a 12-point lead in the first half.
2) The game turned in the fourth quarter on a 14-2 Warriors run. Eight of those points came from Green alone. After engaging in some trash talk with MCW leading up to the contest, Dray had one of those “I’m not letting my team lose” tonight games. He finished with 21, 9 and 8 and a few choice words with OJ Mayo.
3) That was about as poor of a first half as I can remember from Steph. His defense on MCW was shaky at best as Carter-Williams had 13 points and a number of unmolested drives into the lane (though part of that was scheme as the Warriors intentionally gave the poor-shooter space that he was able to use for acceleration into drives). Steph was a minus-10 in the first half and had a couple of those “I’m super frustrated right now” turnovers.
4) But credit the MVP, as Steph came out of intermission playing tighter defense on MCW, taking away some of that air space and moving his arms and feet better to slow drives. He was able to overcome 6 turnovers to amass 26 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists. Steph finished with a plus-14 for the game.
5) Brandon Rush (10 points, 5 rebounds, 4-7 FG) is starting to look more comfortable out there. He got crunch-time minutes ahead of Andre Iguodala, but having him try and guard the Greek Freak might have been too big an ask.
6) James Michael McAdoo had some good minutes off the bench. His stats don’t leap out of the box score, but his defense, rebounding, and points helped the Warriors keep the game close when the subs came in.
7) Which is more surprising, that the Bucks came into Oakland and nearly stole the game, or that this talented Bucks squad is only 10-18?
8) Steph made a three-pointer for the 100th straight game in a row. This is one of the rare Curry records that does not impress me. How could Steph have not made a three-pointer in a game last season?
9) Mo Speights had one of the most “Hold me back!” moments I have seen in a while. After not playing D and getting dunked on by Miles Plumlee, Speights decides to run after Milwaukee’s big man, but then when he realizes that no one is going to stop him, he wisely slows up. Of course once the refs are in front of him “holding him back,” he semi-charges again. Tough game for Mo.
10) The Warriors are working on two new streaks. 30 straight victories at home and 1-0 when their fans wear one-time-use t-shirts.
One more thing. Draymond needs to get his trash talking under control or he’s going to get tossed. Same for his carping to officials. He’s gotten off easy so far this year but I predict he’s going to cost the Warriors a game or 2 this year because of his big mouth.
First, I predicted the Warriors would not have an easy time with the Bucks in part because of their mouthing off which I thought would motivate the Bucks. Second, Thompson had a poor 3 point shooting night which hurt. Third, Speights is having a terrible year which really hurts the Warrior when Barnes is out as they don’t really have a replacement for him. Rush is playing better as of late but can’t defend like Barnes and Speights can’t defend the food line. Just watching Speights this year is painful. He loses rebounds to smaller players after having the ball in his hand, forces up shots with guys draped all over him and then fouls stupidly. In short, he’s a disaster. We need Barnes back and soon.