Warriors kick worst bad habits in dominant win over Hawks Originally posted on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors flew home from Los Angeles late Monday night with a sense of defeat made worse by the fact that they had poisoned their own water.
They responded by cleaning up the toxins Wednesday night with a 120-97 rout of the ragged Atlanta Hawks in front of 18,064 at the Chase Center.
There were some sloppy moments in the second half, but it wasn’t a big game. Golden State raced out to a 21-point lead with 86 seconds left in the first quarter, pushed it to as many as 31 and never allowed the Hawks to get closer than 13 over the remaining three quarters.
For the Warriors, what mattered—or at least should have—was how they did it. They used the first half to reverse their worst tendencies from two nights ago, one a persistent problem and the other an occasional one.
“I liked the first half. The first half was very aesthetic,” said coach Steve Kerr. “We let our guard down a little bit, especially at the end of the third quarter. The game got away from us a bit.
“But that energy and gritty play in the first half was really fun to watch. We just have to keep building on that.”
While it’s clear the Hawks’ defense doesn’t present the kind of challenges the Los Angeles Clippers presented two nights ago at the Intuit Dome, it was just as evident that Golden State can heal itself if properly motivated.
After missing 10 free throws (9 of 19, 47.4 percent) on Monday night — and failing to shoot 72 percent from the line in any of their last five games — the Warriors made 11 of their first 12 against Atlanta before falling foul of the game. the second half and finished 12-of-18.
“Guys have to keep working on it,” Kerr said. “It’s not something I want to harp on. The boys know that they have to do the work themselves. We’ll be fine. We’ll turn it around.”
Two nights ago, the Clippers scored 31 of their 102 points thanks to 19 Golden State turnovers. It was the second straight game in which the Warriors gave their opponent 19 freebies.
They were much stingier with the Hawks, especially in the first half, with only five turnovers, with Atlanta getting one free throw. The Warriors were truly chaotic in the second half, with 10 turnovers that turned into six points.
“Make simple decisions. That’s something we’re killing this year,” Kerr said for perhaps the 50th time this season. “We made some very bad decisions in the Clipper game, especially in the first half, and that got us behind the 8-ball.
“The decision-making was a lot better at the start of the game; we only had five turnovers at half-time. It went away in the second half when I made some bad decisions, but it was very important to start.”
Draymond Green, who lost six giveaways in 32 minutes against Los Angeles, logged 28 minutes on Wednesday with nine assists to offset his three turnovers. Meanwhile, he led the way for a defense that limited the Hawks to 33.3 percent shooting from the field, including 26.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Lindy Waters III, while not flashy, got 10 points, three rebounds and solid defense in his third straight start behind De’Anthony Melton, who will undergo left knee surgery and was ruled out for the season.
Andrew Wiggins had his second straight impressive night, following a 22-point game in LA with a team-high 27 against Atlanta. Trayce Jackson-Davis recorded his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes.
Mostly, it was the Warriors taking the opportunity to make some corrections against the underdogs. Mission accomplished. They left the arena with a record of 11-3 and sat at the top of the Western Conference.
While first place doesn’t mean much when the NBA season is a week before Thanksgiving, the Warriors are certainly encouraged by the absence of bad habits that will allow them to stay on top for at least a few more days.
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