Warriors' offense finally functioning as designed, with 11-game span as proof originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – After searching for more than two months, the Warriors are showing significant progress toward curing their most remedy-resistant ailment.
Golden State’s offense, a source of great concern the first two months of the season, is now exhibiting a strong heartbeat, the brain scans are clear and it’s starting to function as designed. And it’s not a two- or three-game thing. It’s an 11-game span.
The latest example came Friday night in a 137-103 throttling of Sacramento. The Kings are in last place in the NBA Western Conference, yes, but the quality of the opponent doesn’t – and shouldn’t – matter to the Warriors, who at three games above .500 (21-18) still are trying to escape mediocrity.
What matters is that the Warriors have won eight of their last 11 games and are starting to look like the team as projected coming out of training camp. Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton, who signed the week camp opened, have overcome injuries to become healthy and productive.
“We’re in a good groove with our rotation, and helps to have the same lineups out there,” coach Steve Kerr said. “To have Melt and Al both healthy and playing well, it feels like the version of the team that we expected when we signed those guys over the summer. The depth [is great] and we’re just getting into a good groove.”
What matters is that the offense is, for the most part, weaning itself off its worst habit. The Warriors are being smarter with the ball and more intentional in their actions, resulting in them breaking down defenses and lighting up scoreboards.
“Every team has a belief in themselves until you get smacked in the face; we have been smacked in the face a couple of times this year,” Stephen Curry said. “But we bounced back.”
The Warriors recorded 35 assists and committed nine turnovers before Kerr summoned his bench to close the final four minutes against Sacramento. They finished with a season-high 39 dimes, which makes it easier to digest their 11 turnovers.
“I don’t mention the word,” Kerr said, referring to his pet peeve. “I just say ‘hitting singles,’ ‘be solid.’ Solid wins the game. And I’m not bringing it up anymore.”
The Warriors were, sitting at 13-15 on Dec. 18, their own worst enemy. They were on a bullet train to the outer edge of the NBA play-in tournament.
Now? They have trended from punishing themselves with turnovers to depriving opponents of lazy passes that served as charity.
“You have to walk that fine line like we always say,” Curry said. “I know [Kerr] says that he’s not talking about [turnovers] anymore. But we are very mindful of that being a key to us winning games. Because we do utilize each other more than most teams do, screening, passing, moving bodies, moving the ball. And then if you turn it over, there’s no defense for that.”
There was the one game, Dec. 28 at Toronto, when the Warriors smacked themselves with a reminder of the cost of turnovers. They fumbled away a victory by giving the Raptors 35 points off turnovers. That now feels like a relative outlier, and ball security is win preserver.
The Warriors over the 11 games since Dec. 18 are averaging 120 points, fourth in the NBA during that span. In the 28 previous games, they averaged 113.8 per game (23rd). Their offensive rating through the first 28 games was 112.8, 22nd in the NBA. In the 11 games since, their 119.3 rating ranks third.
Most stunningly, Golden State fumbled along with a 1.71 assist-to-turnover ratio (19th in the league) over its first 28 games but has bumped it up to 2.09 (eighth) over its last 11.
The difference between the Warriors of the first 28 and the last 11 is nearly as striking as the difference between the Warriors before and after Jimmy Butler III last season.
“A lot of that has to do with Melton, Al, Gui [Santos] coming in, making huge contributions, Will [Richard] finding his way into the rotation,” Curry said. “So, guys who weren’t as available, or not at all, early in the year, are coming in. And then, getting us organized with rotations and lineups.
“Our defense has been pretty solid all year, but the offense has come and gone. So those two guys in particular [Melton and Horford], the vets are helping tremendously, connecting certain lineups. And then we’re playing focused basketball.
“So, we just got to keep it going.”
That’s the hard part. And the only way for Golden State to continue its recent pattern of winning far more often than losing.
