Golden State Warriors’ Defense Solid In 101-80 Win over Milwaukee Bucks
By Tej Kamaraju
Jan 7, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles the ball around Milwaukee Bucks guard Luke Ridnour (13) during the first quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The streak is at 10! That’s right, the Golden State Warriors beat the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night in sub-zero degrees. Of course, unlike the San Francisco 49ers, however, the weather doesn’t affect an indoor game. The Dubs still boast the hottest team in the NBA as they beat the Bucks 101-80 and improve their record to 24-13.
Tuesday night was just another win, right? Yes, but Wednesday night is the night that the Warriors may be able to break a few records. The longest franchise winning streak is 11 games. The Dubs are on the verge of tying that one. No other team in NBA history has been perfect on a road trip as long as seven games. The Dubs may also be able to beat that record. A lot to look forward to entering Brooklyn.
This game, despite what the final score said, was a gut-check. The Warriors struggled to stay with Milwaukee in the first half of the game, switching leads a lot. They were outscored by 2 points in the first quarter, and Milwaukee was on fire offensively speaking. In the second quarter, the Warriors’ offense didn’t spark, but their defense turned up the intensity, holding the Bucks to 18 points.
The only ones having any offensive game for the Bucks were Brandon Knight, who was hot early, and Ersan Ilyasova, who broke out of his recent struggles to score 20 points. Other than that, the Bucks were offensively stumped.
Leading at half time, the Warriors opened the third quarter with a furious 29-12 rally. Being up 20, the Warriors seemed to be in a solid position with plenty of breathing room. Suddenly, however, the Bucks forced five straight turnovers and cut the lead to 11.
The Warriors had to utilize their starters in the fourth, but the garbage time with a few minutes remaining allowed the reserves to extend the lead to 21, and it would stay that way. Most of the credit for this win goes to the bench, in fact, which totaled 30 points.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were hopefully (for the Warriors) saving their best for last as they shot 11/36 from the field. David Lee was the rock tonight for the starters with 22 points and a season high 18 rebounds. Andrew Bogut, in his homecoming, scored 8 points and inhaled 12 rebounds.
The Warriors now move on to Brooklyn at 24-13 with a chance to make NBA history.