Resurgent Warriors feeling familiar heat among West elite

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Let’s get straight to the Sunday night highlights for the league-leading Golden State Warriors.

Stephen Curry, here for his once-a-season homecoming, heaved a shot just inside the midcourt stripe that banked in and beat the third-quarter buzzer; that drew a gasp from a crowd anticipating something spectacular from Charlotte’s favorite son. The no-look, over-the-head assist out of a scramble provided an alternate option

In the final seconds, when the Hornets were barely holding onto a two-point lead, Draymond Green demonstrated his superior defensive skills. He collaborated with Andre Iguodala to corner Terry Rozier, resulting in a forced jump ball.

However, Curry only managed to make two more 3-pointers throughout the entire game. Despite having a 6-inch height advantage, Green was defeated in a jump ball by Rozier. The game ended in Charlotte’s favor.

The Warriors have not been in this dominant position for a while, where they are seen as the superior team in almost every game, currently leading the standings, and sparking championship discussions. Although they were in The Finals just two years ago, it feels like an eternity since Kevin Durant donned the team’s jersey, Klay Thompson made impressive shots, and the Warriors’ dynasty had the entire league on high alert.

So in that sense, losing 106-102 to the Hornets was no big deal. When you’ve won seven straight games and lost only once previously this season, a stumble or two is allowed.

“Green asserted, “We never left our mark on this game.”

On this night, that meant leaks in their to-this-point stellar defense — the Warriors still hold the best defensive rating in the league by two full points — and a dearth of the usual dazzling showmanship from Curry, who’s off to a scorching start. Not to mention missing contributions from what’s been a surprising number of rotation players poised for breakouts.

Indeed, this season has exceeded expectations for the 11-2 Warriors, who are yet to welcome back Thompson and center James Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick from last season. Curry and Green are strongly positioned to compete for individual end-of-season awards with Curry being the second-highest scorer in the league with an average of 28.1 points per game, just behind an on-fire Durant (29.6 ppg). Meanwhile, Green is the mainstay of a team that’s effectively stifling their opponents and their scorers.

They have already accomplished that. The added advantage is that Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole have improved their performance to become valuable assets, averaging a total of 35 points and giving the Warriors dependable additional options.

“Coach Steve Kerr acknowledged that we’re in a great place,”

With the exception of the reigning conference champions, the Suns, most Western contenders are currently grappling with numerous problems. However, the Warriors have secured themselves an optimal situation. Unlike last season, which saw them relying heavily on young, inexperienced players and struggling with injuries, resulting in elimination from the Western Conference Play-In Tournament, most of their vital signs are now positive. This is a welcome change for Green, Curry, and other healthy members who were part of their championship victories, who found last season’s outcome a hard pill to swallow.

The commencement of this season was marked by doubt, primarily due to the potential absence of Thompson until at least Thanksgiving and the presence of inexperienced young players, returnees, and lottery additions. However, it has been steady so far.

“Their defense is the key to their potential as a title contender,” Hornets coach James Borrego expressed. “It’s riveting to see. They comprehend and welcome it. There are hardly any weaknesses. Every player who enters the game performs exceptionally. Draymond has been leading it for several years now… they set an excellent example for us.”

For all of their early dominance, the Warriors have benefitted from a favorable schedule; the game in Charlotte marked only their fourth on the road. Next up is a Tuesday trip to Brooklyn and a meeting with Durant (7:30 ET, TNT), followed by a stop in Cleveland where the surprising Cavaliers (9-5) await.

Whether at home or on the road, the Warriors will evoke a different reaction compared to last year, when they were perhaps pitied by most of the league due to their struggle with injuries. However, this is no longer the situation. Respect towards them has been reinstated, as was evident on Sunday when the Hornets put forth their best effort against the league’s top team.

Kerr commented, “We weren’t at our best. Our choice of shots was quite poor. We never found our offensive rhythm. It seemed like we were scrambling for 48 minutes. We seemed to be in a hurry.”

Nonetheless, the game was within grasp. However, Kerr’s decision to keep Kevon Looney in the game for defensive reasons proved to be a mistake. With the Warriors trailing by two, Looney ended up with the ball and was fouled with 28 seconds remaining. Regrettably, he missed both free throws.

Curry had an emotional halt in this town where he grew up. He used to spend a lot of time with the Hornets, watching his father, Dell, who played for Charlotte along with his former teammates Muggsy Bogues and Alonzo Mourning. He also attended Davidson College here. Oddly, he hadn’t played in Charlotte for three years and had missed the last two games due to injury. Consequently, he was the crowd’s favorite.

“He said, ‘It’s always a special occasion. The atmosphere was positive, filled with a lot of Davidson red and Warriors blue. However, I must admit, I was not at my best tonight.'”

This season, Curry has already had some significant games. He scored a 45-point triple-double in Golden State’s opening home game, netted 50 points against the Hawks, and recently scored 40 points against the Bulls.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that he performed his worst against Charlotte, making only 3 of 13 shots from deep and 7 of 22 overall, with three turnovers and an apparent lack of synchrony. He confessed to feeling somewhat desperate.

“He said, ‘You tend to rush it a little bit when you want something so badly.'”

No one is prepared to dismiss the Warriors due to a temporary slip-up. The team will be complete and brimming with skill, some of it surprising, once Thompson and Wiseman return. They have the option to maintain the current situation and see how it plays out in the spring, or leverage some of their budding talent in a significant trade prior to the February deadline. Regardless of the path they choose, they’re in a favorable position.

Kerr warned against complacency stemming from their strong start, cautioning them not to fall into a false sense of security or assume things will naturally escalate when the Splash Brothers reunite.

Currently, the Warriors are relishing their position at the top in the West. The view seems both familiar and delightful.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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