SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen Curry quickly got up from the floor after being fouled, looked at the crowd – all wearing yellow shirts with the words ‘cold cold’ written on them – and must have thought they weren’t as excited as they should have been.
He waved his arms and cried—then he shouted twice more for good measure—and the crowd of white-knuckled warriors responded softly, agreeing to direct him unquestioningly, an orchestra following its conductor.
Curry’s Golden State Warriors went into Thursday night’s game, the third of a first-round playoff series against the Sacramento Kings, in an uncomfortable spot. They were facing their first 2-0 playoff deficit since Steve Kerr began coaching them in 2014. They were without Draymond Green, their defensive and do-it-all forward, who was suspended by the NBA for standing on the chest of Kings forward Domantas Sabonis in Game Two on Monday.
But as they have done all season, the Warriors topped it at home, scoring the league-highest offense under 100 points for only the fifth time this season in the 114-97 victory. The Kings still lead the series, 2-1. The fourth game is on Sunday. But it’s also in the Golden State, and for that reason alone the Warriors felt like the series wasn’t over yet.
“We always play great at home,” said Klay Thompson. “We got one down the road; we understand. But we know what we can do in this building. We’ve won a championship here. We’re capable of anything.”
Pick any of Curry’s baskets Thursday night — six three-pointers, various kicks and jump shots that made up his game-high 36 points — and note that shortly after each score he seemed to hold the crowd in his hands: posing, dancing, taking out.
It was a luxury Curry didn’t enjoy in the first two games of the series in Sacramento, when the Warriors had the appearance of a team in trouble. After the victory, Curry pointed out the Warriors’ shortcomings on the road in the first response in his press conference.
“We’ve shown that despite our self-inflicted wounds with turnovers and giving up offensive rebounds, we can beat this team any night,” he said. “It’s good to have something to show now.”
Whatever momentum the Warriors created might propel them to another Game 4 win, it remains baffling how that momentum seems to disappear once they’re off their home turf.
The Warriors were 33-8 at San Francisco’s Chase Center in the regular season, a record better this season only by the Denver Nuggets (34-7) and Memphis Grizzlies (35-6), the two top teams in the Western Conference. . However, on the road, Golden State was a terrible 11-30.
Road struggles are usually reserved for young and inexperienced teams. The fact that the Warriors’ championship-tested core — Thompson, Curry, Greene, Kerr — fared poorly on the road was perhaps the most curious inconsistency of the season.
The stats offer a clue: the Warriors simply don’t play defense well enough on the road, where they are More than 10 points allowed per game (122.4) more than they did at home (111.7). No other team in the league has more than 6.9 odds. (Offensively, the Warriors never seem to miss a beat away from home, as their scoring averages on the road (119.7) and at home (118.2) differ only partially.
The issue is no secret inside the Warriors’ locker room.
“If you’re poor defensively, it’s really hard to beat on the road,” Kerr said he said in november. “You need to be able to pull together to get the momentum and get the home crowd out of it. If you’re trading baskets the other team feels good, it’s really hard to win that way. So the road record is directly related to the defense.”
he Back to the point In March, he said of his team’s mediocre record, “We know the answer to all of this lies in our defense.”
On Thursday night, there were three cheers prevalent inside the Chase Center: “booing” for Sabonis; roaring “Looon” by frontman Kevon Looney; and chants of “MVP!” Each time Curry got close to the free throw line. Built in 2019, Kerr said the stadium’s construction, with a lower roof, makes for a more “intimate crowd”.
“The ceiling is not as high as a lot of the new arenas,” Kerr said, adding, “You can feel the crowd. They’re right above you.”
In the end, though, the Warriors, ranked No. 6 in the West, would have to win a road game to advance anywhere in this postseason, including a first-round exit. “Until someone wins the road game, everyone keeps serving,” Kerr said.
Trading home winnings is as unforgiving as the Warriors’ track record. Kerr and his players will know they need to find a way to turn it around. fast.
Scott Cacciola Contribute to the preparation of reports.