The Golden State Warriors annihilated the Atlanta Hawks 120-97 on Wednesday night.
Though the Hawks had six players score in double figures on the affair, none put up more than 15 points. The Warriors flexed championship-quality defense against the Hawks. Offensively, Golden State put forth a well-balanced attack from the top down on their way to an 11-3 record.
Let’s look at the good, and more good from the Warriors’ dominant win that spawned few negatives to extract.
Good news: Andrew Wiggins’ scoring & Stephen Curry’s high IQ powered win for the Warriors
As deep a team as they are, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference won’t sniff a championship unless Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins definitively lead their charge.
Wiggins looked like the potential superstar everyone envisioned him becoming out of the draft against Atlanta. He scored 27 points on an uber-efficient 12-17 shooting from the field alongside seven rebounds and an impressive four assists. Curry supported him with 23 points and eight assists on 7-10 shooting from the field and 4-6 shooting from three-point range. The Davidson product made great decisions. He made the extra pass to rim rollers when necessary and let the flow of the game come to him.
The Warriors’ championship duo looked like one on Wednesday against a re-tooling, yet talented Hawks unit.
More good news: Curry outduels Trae Young in marquee PG matchup
Talks of Curry going against Hawks All-Star Trae Young dominated headlines leading up to the game. Consistently viewed as one of the handful of players that could challenge Curry as being the most dominant three-point shooter in the NBA, the assists maestro Young was not the better man on the night.
Curry and the Dubs’ stout defense held “Ice Trae” to an inefficient 4-12 shooting from the floor and 1-6 shooting from distance for 12 points. It took Young until the third quarter to drill his first and only long ball from 31 feet out. He did manage to dish out 11 dimes, but he was rendered a near non-factor on offense and took a blowout loss along with it. Meanwhile, Curry added two steals and one block on the defensive end to his solid scoring and outside shooting.
It’s just good news for the Warriors: Dubs’ defense made a statement
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr ran a catered game plan to perfection. He brought a second defender to help take the ball out of Young’s hands in the half-court effectively.
As a team, Golden State held Atlanta to a forgettable 33 percent shooting from the field, 26 percent connection from three, and 63 percent shooting from the foul line. They also forced 17 Hawks turnovers in the game. Defense like that is what will be needed for the Dubs to continue their winning ways.
Warriors aim for a 12-3 start in the next contest vs. the Pelicans
The Warriors will get one day of rest before traveling to the Smoothie King Center to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. Golden State may catch a breather against a banged-up New Orleans squad with their entire big four and two key bench players all currently sidelined with injuries.