After 18 games on the bench, Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney is active tonight. As per various reports, he’ll play with a restriction not to exceed 20 minutes, and will come off the bench.
Entering the season, everyone had high hopes for Looney; but alas, it has been an extremely tough season. He missed the first month of the season, including all of training camp with a neuropathic condition. In 10 appearances this year, he has shot a career-low TS% of just .380 (compared to a career average of .598) and has been largely ineffective.
This all goes back to a lingering issue caused by a neuropathic condition. According to Ryan Gorcey of the San Francisco Examiner, “it has presented in the form of aches and soreness over the course of the past two seasons. “
Whether the issue has completely cleared up, and what the relation is between this newest “abdominal strain” and the original neuropathic issue is anyone’s guess. Regardless, everyone is pulling for Looney to get healthy and get back on the court - and not just because he will help them (hopefully) win some games. Everyone is flat out rooting for this kid to just get back to normal for his own sake.
Steph Curry Update
The Warriors reevaluated Stephen Curry today. They broadcast this date far in advance, and Curry has looked extremely close to game ready in the limited views we have gotten of him recently.
What’s the update? Well, bottom line is that he's not coming back for a while yet. As they've been saying since the injury occurred, Curry is targeting a March return.
While he has been looking pretty close to ready, given the low stakes (tank) feel of the season, there's really no reason to not play it slow and safe.
If Steph is re-evaluated on 1 March, even if cleared to play, I do not see him playing the entire slate in March into April. We are liable to go on a 10-game win-streak and jeopardize the lottery pick!
I *think* Dray was trying to end Q3 by running that fake PNR, weakside slip play (usually for Klay) for GR3, but everyone was completely in chaos and they got nothing but a Dray hoist.
CLE seriously overplaying the handoff. So Dray hands off to Poole, immediately slips to counter the overplay. But Poole didn’t lob, turnover pass instead.
That’s actually a nice set GSW could stand to use more. Dray and Chriss on wing, D-Lo curls. Chriss dives. Dray either gives D-Lo handoff, or lobs to Chriss.
For god’s sake, Dubs!! You can’t just tank all season and then take a night off against a serious rival for last place. REAL TANKERS (DON’T) BRING IT EVERY NIGHT
Quietly poignant moment there. D-Lo gets stopped, swings ball to a weakside curl, which makes a ton of sense if Steph and Klay are there, but in this case it’s Chriss and GR3 and it gets ugly. But I guess building habits for their return...
ok folks, party thread is up.
Go ahead and hang out there. The Gold Blooded King will have your recap for you in the morning.
https://www.letsgowarriors.com/p/whaaaat-warriors-victory-thread-undefeated/comments
Wow..120-something comments in this game thread; more than the last 7 games combined in the "old" site!
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Draymond chose the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl.
TRADE HIM RIGHT AWAY
Some individual stats:
- - -
GSW (11-39) 131
CLE (13-37) 112
==== FINAL ====
- - -
GRIII 22 pts, 9/13 fg
DLo 19-7-8, 6/11 3s
Draymond 8-7-16, 2 stl, 2 blk
Lee 18 pts, 8/11 fg
EP 16 pts, 5/8 fg in 20 mins
Chriss 10 & 7
AB 15 pts
Spellman 12 & 5
- - -
Sexton 23 pts, 4 ast
Love 14 & 11
Porter 19 pts
Dubs had 39 (!!!!!) assists on 48 made field goals.
If someone woke up from a year-long coma after this game and looked at the stats with the names blacked out, they'd be none the wiser.
A win!
We shot 18-35 for 51.4% from the 3pt! Take that, Steph/Klay! We also make our FTs now, and TOs are down!
Yay! 11th win. Where is the celebration thread. Let's make it all green. Oh wait,!
Top players:
1: Green, Robinson III
2: Lee, Russell
3: Chriss, Paschall
HM: Burks, Spellman
winnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
FT's for Looney!
Let's see a Looney 3
Yay. A blowout win.
Well, win number 11, finally! We got some shooters tonight!
If Steph is re-evaluated on 1 March, even if cleared to play, I do not see him playing the entire slate in March into April. We are liable to go on a 10-game win-streak and jeopardize the lottery pick!
"These are the turnovers you don't want" - Fitz
Do you ever want to turn the ball over?
Come on Dubs! Don't let up.
To think we were talking trade Klay AND Green/Barnes for ....Kevin Love! I want to keep Burks!
I wanna thank the Cleveland Cavaliers for convincing me that there will always be someone worse.
This is so much fun! That is all.
I *think* Dray was trying to end Q3 by running that fake PNR, weakside slip play (usually for Klay) for GR3, but everyone was completely in chaos and they got nothing but a Dray hoist.
Best quarter of the year?
I miss seeing the Warriors on this side of a blow out
vintage warrior 3rd quarter. best quarter of this season
Poole you just did what? To Burke 3
Poole can handle pretty niftily!
I am already mentally preparing myself for the epic tank collapse in the 4th quarter
I think Draymond saw the Cavs Quicken Arena and forget we are tanking
How do I love Spellman 3s? Let me count the ways...
CLE seriously overplaying the handoff. So Dray hands off to Poole, immediately slips to counter the overplay. But Poole didn’t lob, turnover pass instead.
Dray$ 16 assists in 22 minutes
Dray is something today even if it is against a bottom team
That’s actually a nice set GSW could stand to use more. Dray and Chriss on wing, D-Lo curls. Chriss dives. Dray either gives D-Lo handoff, or lobs to Chriss.
Chriss is the vertical threat WCS was supposed to be.
And hell, Chriss even grabbed more boards per36 than WCS too.
For god’s sake, Dubs!! You can’t just tank all season and then take a night off against a serious rival for last place. REAL TANKERS (DON’T) BRING IT EVERY NIGHT
Draymond's motivation tonight: "I ain't losing to motherf****** Cleveland!"
one of you stat folks tell me when the last time the warriors had a double digit lead
Where's that MT1998 dweeb to whine about how much Draymond sucks?
Lol, Draymond in complete beast mode. Someone needs to remind him this isn't the Finals.
holy moly the cavs are REALLY bad at defense
Ooooh, that Dray-Chriss lob should be good for another 2 minutes of intense D from Dray
Nice lil 15-0 run.
Cav's transition D is worse than ours 😀
Warriors at half vs. CLE:
ORtg: 117.4
DRtg: 113.5
NetRtg: +3.9
eFG%: .539
TS%: .564
Dubs not doing too bad in terms of shooting (47.1 percent from the field, 41.2 percent on 3s). But Cavs are shooting 47.4 percent on 3s.
Dubs do have a 20-6 fastbreak point edge, though.
Halftime individual stats:
GSW 61
CLE 59
HALFTIME
GRIII 12 pts, 5/6 fg
Lee 11 pts, 5/8 fg
DLo 9-5-4, 3/7 fg, 3/5 3s
EP 10 pts, 4/4 fg
Draymond 3-4-8
Sexton 18 pts, 3 ast, 7/10 fg
Porter 11 pts
Draymond being Draymond: 3 pts 4 reb 8 ast 2 stl 1 blk
Nice little run there at the end spearheaded by <strikethough>Magic Johnson</strikethrough> Draymond Green.
Quietly poignant moment there. D-Lo gets stopped, swings ball to a weakside curl, which makes a ton of sense if Steph and Klay are there, but in this case it’s Chriss and GR3 and it gets ugly. But I guess building habits for their return...
We have a lead for some reason now.
Halftime stats:
Warriors:
47.1% shooting (26/51 FGs)
7/17 three pointers
6/7 FTs
26 rebounds (8 off.)
19 assists
6 turnovers
Cavaliers:
46.0% shooting (23/50 FGs)
9/19 three pointers
4/4 FTs
26 rebounds (6 off.)
15 assists
8 turnovers