Golden State Warriors: 5 Key Numbers Through The First 41 Games
The Golden State Warriors are halfway through their season’s schedule — let’s take a look at a few numbers that stand out through the first half.
After defeating the Denver Nuggets on Monday the Golden State Warriors have completed half of the 2017-18 regular season schedule with a 33-9 mark.
That puts the team on a pace to win 66 games – right in line with their win totals from the last three seasons: 67, 73 and 67.
As the second half of the year begins, here are five numbers that capture the first half of the season and are worth watching between now and the playoffs:
5 – The Dubs lost five home games in the first half of the season.
Sure, a 16-5 home record is excellent – but it’s certainly not up to the standards the team has set over the last few seasons.
Last year, the Warriors lost just five home games over the course of the entire regular season. And they lost just two home games each the previous two seasons.
Does that mean it is time to sound the alarm bells? Certainly not. But it is a trend to watch in the next three months.
8.3 – Kevin Durant is leading The Association with 2.3 blocks per game. This is a big uptick for him, and anchors a defense that is also leading the league in blocks per game at 8.3 per contest.
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For perspective, there is not another team averaging even six blocks per game. Durant’s 75 blocks lead the way, but other key contributors are Draymond Green (47), David West (40) and Jordan Bell (39).
While the team is known for its offensive proficiency, its defense is obviously something special, too.
37 – David West is 37 years old and deserves a nod for his consistent off-the-bench excellence. He has bumped his scoring up better than 50% (to 7.0 from 4.6 points per game) in similar minutes (13.1 this year versus 12.6 last year).
He is also shooting an otherworldly 63.9% from the field (up from last year’s 53.6%). His contributions are key, but can the 37-year old sustain that level of play in the next 41 games? Or should the priority be on getting him ready for the playoffs?
Look for him to be held out of some games on back to back nights in the second half of the season.
Next: Golden State Warriors: As The Dust Settles
41 – The only player to appear in all 41 games this season is Klay Thompson. The 27 year old is having another fine season, including shooting a career high 45.5% on three pointers, best on the team for players with more than one attempt per game – Curry is second at 41.4%.
Thompson is averaging 20.7 points per game, which will be his fourth consecutive season of averaging 20 or more points if he maintains that pace in the second half.
While he played in every game in his first two seasons, he has not done so over the last. The smart money is on Steve Kerr holding him out of a handful of games as the playoffs approach
78% – That is the percentage of games Stephen Curry (28 of 41), Kevin Durant (33 of 41) and Draymond Green (35 of 41) have played in so far this season. Will that trend continue?
If the injuries that cause the missed games are not serious, it may be a blessing in disguise for the Warriors, as the team’s key players end up with fewer regular season minutes wearing them down as they gear up for a potential fourth straight trip to the NBA Finals.