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Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder rolling in to test Warriors’ progress originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors choose not to look at the procession of beasts lying in wait as they enter the most treacherous part of their 2024-25 NBA season. They’re fixated on the first to greet them, knowing it’s as nasty as any they will see.
The only team in the Western Conference with a better record than Golden State’s 12-5 is coming into Chase Center on Wednesday. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 13-4 record puts them on pace to repeat as the No. 1 seed in the West.
And are here the Warriors, after missing the NBA playoffs last season, trying not only to return to the postseason but prove they belong there and are good enough to make a deep run.
But first, the immediate. The Warriors must get off the floor. Losses to non-contenders in the San Antonio Spurs and Brooklyn Nets over the past five days have them trying to rise, regain their balance and see how good they can be. Yet they must know that if the Spurs and Nets can exploit them, the Thunder and the other monsters that follow can bury them.
“They’ve got a great team,” center Trayce Jackson-Davis said of the Thunder. “They’re No. 1 and we’re No. 2. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be rocking [tonight]. Can’t wait.”
Golden State dropped the Thunder 17 days ago, romping off with a 127-116 victory in Oklahoma City. Still, that game provided a glimpse of the Warriors at their worst. They took a 28-point lead into the fourth quarter and had to withstand a late rally – OKC got within six with 4:46 remaining – to come out a winner.
The Warriors escaped on that night, but their tendency to treat big leads with indifference is how they lost to the Spurs and Nets. It’s a dangerous game against even mediocre teams, which is why Golden State spent Tuesday in a laboratory undergoing serious self-evaluation.
“Those are games we should close out,” Kerr said. “And, obviously, we are facing a daunting schedule ahead.”
What makes the Thunder particularly daunting is their top-rated defense, their collection of two-way wings, led by…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/gilgeous-alexander-thunder-rolling-test-154745718.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-11-27 15:47:00
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