The Warriors hope to make the playoffs this season, coalesce as a group and well-position themselves to chase a title in 2021-22 with a healthy Klay Thompson.
Such realism has allowed Golden State to maintain perspective. But after overcoming a 19-point deficit to escape Staples Center with a 115-113 win over the Lakers on Monday night, the Warriors might have to recalibrate their expectations.
After losing two straight games to slip back to .500, Golden State did something on Martin Luther King Jr. Day that few anticipated: It weathered a run after run from a title contender before making timely shots down the stretch to steal a statement victory in front of a national TV audience. This was important progress for a young Warriors team still ironing out the rotation and learning the nuances of head coach Steve Kerr’s read-and-react system.
After falling behind by 17 early in the third quarter, Golden State cut the margin to two, only to give up a 13-4 rally and enter the fourth staring down a double-digit hole. Trailing by seven with 4:35 left, the Warriors got five consecutive points from Stephen Curry to get back to two down. After Kelly Oubre Jr. hit a layup to knot the game at 108-108, Draymond Green — hardly much of a scorer this season — drained two layups in less than a minute before Curry drilled a 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining.
Nursing a 115-113 lead with 30.3 seconds left, the Warriors called for time and draw up a play for Curry. After Curry’s layup rimmed out, the Lakers gave the ball to LeBron James, who was heavily guarded by Green as James missed a potentially game-winning 3-point try.
As the final buzzer sounded, Curry popped out his mouth guard, pounded his fist against his chest and pointed toward the ceiling. Less than two weeks removed from orchestrating a memorable second-half comeback against the Clippers, he had helped engineer more late heroics, sending a message to the rest of the league in the process: This is still a franchise with two core members — Curry and Green — from a recent dynasty.
Though the Warriors have plenty of newcomers and flaws, they’re starting to channel the type of play that was a driving force behind five Finals runs and three titles. At times Monday, Golden State exhibited teamwork as if from the game’s earliest textbooks, making the extra pass for open looks as it piled up 31 assists.
Such selflessness allowed the Warriors to weather a 50-32 rebounding disadvantage and the Lakers’ 58 points in the paint. Though Curry finished with a modest line by his lofty standards of 26 points on 8-for-22 shooting (3-for-12 from 3-point range), seven assists and four turnovers, he hit several key baskets with the game on the line to polish off one of the Warriors’ most thrilling comebacks in recent memory.
It helped that Oubre Jr. (23 points), Eric Paschall (19 points on 11 shots) and Andrew Wiggins (18 points, eight rebounds, nine assists) were worthy sidekicks. Though the Lakers finished 48.2% from the field, they only got 19 points on 6-for-16 shooting from James.
Green’s sound defense in the waning moments was the lasting image on a night Golden State made stops when it mattered most. This is a team that harbors no designs of winning a title without Thompson (torn Achilles tendon), but it might be able to even surprise itself and be a threat in the Western Conference this season.
Kerr has spent recent weeks raving about this group’s resilience and approach. With Curry and Green leading the way, the Warriors are now improving at a rapid enough rate for them to adjust their perception of themselves.
After Golden State’s win over a league-best team, this much is certain: The millions of fans watching from home are getting a sense that Thompson’s injury isn’t enough to discount the Warriors.
Connor Letourneau covers the Warriors for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Con_Chron
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January 19, 2021 at 01:06PM
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Warriors come back from 19-point deficit for statement win over Lakers - San Francisco Chronicle
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