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It’s hard to get too excited about the preseason standings, but wins are always more enjoyable than losses. And after beating the Los Angeles Lakers 121-114 on Saturday night, the Golden State Warriors are now perfect 3-0 to start the preseason.
That happy stat might not matter much, but that happy stat counts: 58. That’s the number of points Warriors starting in the backcourt, Steph Curry and Jordan Poole, managed to win.
Curry’s three balls didn’t fall (he shot 3 for 14 from deep), but he shot 9 for 10 from inside the arc while scoring his jersey number, to go with 5 interceptions. Poole had 28 points on a 10-for-19 shot, making it three dynamic offensive performances in as many games for the third-year who now looks like a star in the making.
However, the offense did not shoot out of the doors. It was ugly at first, but their defense was as good as their offense was bad.
Eight minutes later, the Warriors are 3 of 14 and the Lakers 2 of 16. It looks like everyone on both teams has forgotten their glasses.
– Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) October 9, 2021
Things picked up near the end of first frame and took off in the second quarter, with the Dubs dropping 38 in frame and taking a 10 point lead at halftime. The ball moved, as it did for most of the preseason. He found the arc, like in the previous two games, as Golden State finished with 56 three-point attempts.
After the strong performance in the second quarter, the lead only grew, jumping into his twenties in the third quarter before Steve Kerr retired his starters.
And that’s when the Warriors struggled. With an undersized lineup trying to contain the LA big bench, the Dubs saw their lead quickly evaporate. Golden State held in check LeBron James (9 points on a 4-on-12 shot) and Russell Westbrook (2 points on a 1-on-7 shot with 6 turnovers), but couldn’t face Dwight Howard, who finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds on an 8-on-11 shot.
But it was okay in the end. The bench did just enough, with Juan Toscano-Anderson leading a few defensive clutch stands, and rookie Moses Moody splashing in his three attempts from beyond the arc.
The Warriors held on for the seven-point win, and we still haven’t seen them lose since last season.
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