At some point during the second half of the Golden State Warriors’ 124-111 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, play-by-play broadcaster Bob Fitzgerald passionately pointed something out: it had been a while since the Warriors had been outplayed. If you want to be pedantic, you can surely argue the statement, but what Fitz was getting at made perfect sense. Golden State’s last loss came on Monday against the LA Clippers, but they played well in that game and just went ice cold shooting. Before that it was a January 2 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder while playing without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, or Jimmy Butler III. And before that it was a December 28 defeat at the hands of the Toronto Raptors, in a game where the Warriors were in control until a series of self-inflicted wounds late in the game. You had to go back to mid-December to find a game that a healthy(ish) Warriors team that simply took the court and played comfortably better basketball.
Fitzgerald didn’t bring up the point to make an excuse for the loss. He brought it up to note that the streak was coming to an end. The Warriors were losing, and the Warriors were going to lose, and the autopsy was remarkably straightforward: the Warriors were outplayed.
It was perhaps an ominous sign that the Warriors — who have been so good about taking care of the ball lately — opened the game with a turnover. It certainly didn’t deflate them, though, as they jumped out to an early 14-4 lead behind some quality defense and a few graciously missed shots by the Hawks. But Atlanta immediately stopped the kindness, and started making their shots. It wasn’t particularly bad defense from Golden State, but it wasn’t good defense, either, and the Hawks made shot after shot after shot. It was a quick 7-0 run that prompted a Steve Kerr timeout, but the Hawks had a 7-0 run waiting on the other side of the timeout, too, and suddenly they had the lead.
Even with Curry taking a rest, the Dubs ended the quarter well, as they answered Atlanta’s big punch, and scored 10 straight points of their own; as a result, they trailed just 28-27. Despite that initial turnover, the Warriors had committed just two turnovers in the quarter … but forced none.
Things went quite well to open up the second quarter. Golden State started to slow Atlanta’s offense with some active hands on defense, and that brought the team some momentum. An early burst gave the Dubs a 37-29 advantage, and then it turned into a highly-entertaining back-and-forth as the teams exchanged blows, with Jimmy Butler III and Jalen Johnson, in particular, putting on a show.
While the Warriors led for most of the quarter, they would run out of gas late. A pair of threes by Nickeil Alexander-Walker late in the half cemented a halftime lead for the Hawks, who took a 59-53 advantage into the locker rooms.
It was still anyone’s game when the third quarter began, but not for long. Atlanta felt fully in control, with the Warriors having to work hard just to settle for a difficult shot seemingly every time down the court. Despite Curry’s best efforts to save the Warriors in that situation, the Hawks jumped out to a 70-58 lead at the 8:45 mark. It was, however, a game of runs, and the Warriors had a big one in store. It took them less than 1:30 to explode for 10 unanswered points, forcing an Atlanta timeout (it would cap at an 11-0 run on the other side of the break). With that, the Warriors appeared to be having fun. They were full of life and energy and dancing around on the court.
But the fun didn’t last long. The Hawks — who, since New Year’s Eve, have gone 4-2 with wins over the Timberwolves, Knicks, and Nuggets, while sporting the league’s second-best defensive rating during that time — completely buckled down on defense. They fully put the clamps on the Dubs, and started draining three after three along the way, as Luke Kennard came off the bench for a sensational sharp-shooting performance. Suddenly Golden State’s deficit was back to double digits, and seemingly growing by the possession. The Warriors’ offensive tire-spinning had kept their score stagnant, as Atlanta had exploded for a game-altering 19-2 run. The Warriors did end the quarter with a nice two-for-one — Butler drained a three on the front end, and Gui Santos dropped in a buzzer-beating floater on the back — but even that was sandwiched around another Kennard three.
Atlanta led 94-78 entering the final frame, and the only question was whether the Warriors could finally find some offensive rhythm, and pull off one of those fourth quarter comebacks that they’ve been on the receiving end of so many times this year. The answer, as you can suspect, was “no.”
Kennard kept killing them to open the fourth, and Golden State quickly found themselves trailing by 25 points. They had one last push, though, as a 10-0 run pulled them to within 15 points with 5:36 remaining, and they would set about trying to chip away at that deficit in the final minutes. But it never felt like they really had a chance. Even the Warriors’ runs felt unsustainable because of how hard it was to come by good looks … and how many open shots Atlanta was getting in return. Golden State did a little window dressing as they limped to the finishing line, losing 124-111, with the score not accurately reflecting the one-sided nature of the game.
The difference in both shooting and defense was on display with the three-point numbers: Atlanta shot 15-for-39 from deep, making 38.5% of their attempts; Golden State shot a miserable 10-for-42, netting theirs at a rate of just 23.8%. Often when that happens it’s a sign of merely having a cold night, but that wasn’t the case for the Warriors. Their looks weren’t clean or good. They were contested, deep, off balance, and filled with any other number of barriers. The Hawks looks, on the other hand, were exactly what a team hopes for, and if we’re being truthful, the Dubs are lucky that Atlanta didn’t shoot better.
There was also a notable difference in athleticism and energy, and that was noticeable with how well Atlanta turned defense into offense. The Warriors lost the turnover battle 16-9, but the points off turnovers battle was far more stark: a 28-11 advantage for the visitors. Atlanta took advantage of opportunities, and Golden State simply did not.
Curry led the Warriors with 31 points and five assists, while shooting 11-for-21 from the field, 3-for-11 from deep, and 6-for-6 from the free throw line, and committing three turnovers. But he had to labor for everything, and while he played well, he looked utterly drained in the process. Butler had a strong game playing second fiddle, with 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals, while shooting 10-for-19 from the field, 2-for-6 on threes, and 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. But while Golden State got 61 points from their two offensive stars, the rest of the team combined for just 50, while shooting a paltry 21-for-50, and 3-for-7 on free throws. De’Anthony Melton, who needed 12 shots to score 10 points, was the only other Warrior in double figures, as the Hawks bench outscored Golden State’s 43-35.
It was a much more balanced attack for Atlanta, though they had three clear offensive stars: Alexander-Walker, who led the team with 24 points on 9-for-18 shooting; Johnson, who is now, without a doubt the face of the franchise following the Trae Young trade, and who netted 23 points on 9-for-16 shooting, while also grabbing 11 boards and dishing six assists; and Kennard, who shot 6-for-9 from three-point range, and needed just 11 shots (and no free throw attempts) to score 22 points.
Three other players scored in double figures for Atlanta, including Onyeka Okongwu, who finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, and two steals. Dyson Daniels had a sensational defensive game, while also totaling 11 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists.
Golden State falls to 21-19 with the loss, and they’ll get Monday off to figure some things out. They’re back in action on Tuesday, when they host the Portland Trail Blazers at 8:00 p.m. PT in the fourth game of this eight-game home stand.
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