Warriors Flip the Script Versus Bulls
The Golden State Warriors entered the Windy City of Chicago hours after having one of the worst beatdowns of the season.
Their superstar, Stephen Curry, was almost unrecognizable.
Curry was hesitating, often deferring to teammates, and committing timely turnovers during close games while shooting an abysmal percentage.
“We obviously have stuff to work on,” Curry said. “But it’s not like a situation that we don’t know what to do and how to get it done.”
Experts have noted how playing back-to-backs in the NBA is more of a mental challenge than it is a physical challenge. The Warriors showed their mental toughness by responding to a 19-point loss to a 42-point blowout.
First Quarter Difference
After going 1-4 the past five games, the Warriors needed a change of pace.
One of the reasons the Warriors had such a tough stretch as of late is due to their first-quarter production. They averaged 22.4 points on 38.7% shooting and 21.6% shooting from three.
“We couldn’t have shot it worse than we did yesterday,” Wiggins said. “We had to redeem ourselves. Yesterday was a bad loss, so we had to come in aggressive, and we needed this win, it was important.”
The Warriors opened the floodgates in the first quarter.
They registered a total of 37 points while going 13-for-24 from the field and a scorching 6-for-14 from three. They took care of the ball, only having one turnover to their 11 assists.
The ball movement and player movement that was so synonymous with the Steve Kerr offense was there, and they looked like the Warriors of old.
“We just know how better of a team we are,” Wiggins said of the team’s attitude after the Bucks loss. “We can’t let stuff like that happen, and when it does and when we face adversity, we just gotta be strong and show them what we’re about.”
Jonathan Kuminga Shows Promise
With Warriors forward and DPOY candidate Draymond Green still nursing a calf injury, the Warriors went to the rookie Jonathan Kuminga in hopes of getting quality minutes.
Kuminga delivered with his strong defense and his aggressive offense.
Number 00 got started with an ATO (after timeout) play. Kuminga got the ball on the top of the arc, and after receiving a screen from Curry, sprinted downhill and threw down the loud dunk to start the second quarter.
With the Warriors nursing a comfortable lead by the midway point of the third, Kuminga felt more relaxed. He carved his way through the Chicago defense, spun to the left, and banked in a floater.
“Steph said something last night, ‘I don’t focus on the result, I focus on the process,’” Kerr said. “It’s the same for the team. With JK, we’re trying to get him focused on the process.”
Kuminga would remain aggressive on offense and only took four threes. The two makes were from the flow of the offense, and he showed his growth by not settling or forcing the issue.
On the defensive end, the seventh overall pick demonstrated a perfect rotation and swatted the shot once Devon Dotson got passed his initial defender while keeping the ball in bounds.
“I’m still learning and trying to correct every mistake,” Kuminga said.
Kuminga finished the game with 25 points on an efficient 10-12 shooting.
With a fully rejuvenated Warriors squad, the team will end the road trip in Minnesota on Jan. 16.
(Photo credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)