Archive for the ‘ Preview ’ Category

16
9
Feb

Preview: Nuggets at Warriors

Denver
Nuggets

@

Golden State
Warriors

Oracle Arena
7:30pm | CSNBA/NBA TV

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
November 22, 2010 • Recap
Nuggets 106
Warriors 89
 
February 9, 2011 • Recap
Nuggets 114
Warriors 116
 
April 11, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 111
Nuggets 134
 

The Warriors try to pick themselves up off the floor tonight against the visiting Nuggets, who will be somewhat hobbled by injuries to Chauncey Billups and Nene and a (hopefully) distracted ‘Melo. Should be a good opportunity for our inside guys — Lee and Biedrins — to rebound from their woeful performance against the Suns, as they’ll have a solid challenge in dealing with Anthony and Kenyon Martin, not to mention Nene if he plays. Should also be a good test for Keith Smart — if the team comes out flat again tonight, it could be one more step toward the Warriors looking for a new head coach this offseason.

27
7
Feb

Preview: Suns at Warriors

Phoenix
Suns

@

Golden State
Warriors

Oracle Arena
7:30pm | CSNBA/NBA TV

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
December 2, 2010 • Recap
Suns 107
Warriors 101
 
February 7, 2011 • Recap
Suns 104
Warriors 92
 
February 10, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 88
Suns 112
 
March 18, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 97
Suns 108
 

The Warriors’ season turns 50 games old tonight, as Steve Nash and the Suns visit Oracle in a game between two fringe playoff teams (a perhaps generous characterization).

The Suns are currently a game and a half ahead of the Warriors in the standings, so this is a game the Dubs need to win to keep their dwindling playoff hopes alive.

Coming off arguable their best win of the season — and certainly their best team defensive performance — the Warriors will have plenty of momentum to draw off of tonight. Can they make it two good wins — and four overall — in a row?

UPDATE:(By Jake) Adding just a touch to the pre-game because this is the first game I have looked forward to watching for some time. Maybe it is the DayQuil/NyQuil combo talking though. The keys to this game for me are certainly whether or not Curry can keep his turnovers down and whether the Warrior’s can win the FT battle again. Will Curry and Monta be able to contain Nash (on his birthday) and maybe more importantly can the Warrior’s defense keep the Suns big men from hitting the outside shots? I worry about Channing Fry raining down 3′s as the Warriors fail to rotate and then give up offensive rebounds on his misses. I hope to see a total over 220, but it seems that the Warrior’s are winning more when the total is closer to 205.

10
5
Feb

Preview: Bulls at Warriors

Chicago
Bulls

@

Golden State
Warriors

Oracle Arena
7:30pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
November 11, 2010 • Recap
Warriors 90
Bulls 120
 
February 5, 2011 • Recap
Bulls 90
Warriors 101
 

The Warriors put their epic 2-game winning streak on the line tonight against the red-hot Bulls. They’re gonna need a team effort for this one, especially with a thin back court (thanks to Charlie Bell’s DUI — seriously dude, great timing) and Derrick Rose ready to rack up the fouls on Curry and Ellis. Aside from the Bobcats, the Warriors have been beating the teams they’re supposed to during their recent home stretch. But now they need to take it up a level and start winning a few games where they’re underdogs; tonight would be a great time to get that started.

15
3
Feb

Preview: Bucks at Warriors

Milwaukee
Bucks

@

Golden State
Warriors

Oracle Arena
7:30pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
November 13, 2010 • Recap
Warriors 72
Bucks 79
 
February 3, 2011 • Recap
Bucks 94
Warriors 100
 

The Warriors resume play tonight after their long layoff, facing a Bucks team that has pwn3d them in recent years (most famously during Brandon Jennings’ 55 point outburst last year). What to watch for tonight:

  • Return of Ellis. I think his ankle injury hurt him more than the team has admitted, so we’ll see if the long layoff gets him back to his old self. The All-Star reserves will be announced before the game, so assuming that Ellis is left off he may have added motivation to put up some big numbers. Let’s just hope that doesn’t lead to him forcing anything.
  • The All Star. One Warrior will be participating in All-Star weekend, as Steph Curry has been announced for the Rookie-Sophomore game (and may also play in the 3-point shootout). Can he continue his current hot streak, or will he be the victim if Ellis regains his dominance of the team’s shot attempts?
  • Fundamentals. Smart mentioned that he was going to take advantage of the extra time off by going back to basics in a few key areas (rebounding off missed free throws was one needed refresher I remember him mentioning), and lord knows they could use this. But let’s see if it takes — can they avoid the stupid mistakes tonight?
1
30
Jan

Preview: Jazz at Warriors

Utah
Jazz

@

Golden State
Warriors

Oracle Arena
7:00pm | CSNBA/ESPN

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
November 5, 2010 • Recap
Jazz 78
Warriors 85
 
December 13, 2010 • Recap
Warriors 95
Jazz 108
 
January 30, 2011 • Recap
Jazz 81
Warriors 96
 
February 16, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 107
Jazz 100
 

I think the season is largely lost after the Bobcats disaster, but a win over the Jazz would at least re-spark glimmer of hope. The good news is that Derron Williams is out tonight — but can the Warriors take advantage?

2
28
Jan

Preview: Bobcats at Warriors

Charlotte
Bobcats

@

Golden State
Warriors

Oracle Arena
7:30pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
December 31, 2010 • Recap
Warriors 96
Bobcats 95
 
January 28, 2011 • Recap
Bobcats 121
Warriors 113
 

Alright, just what the Warriors need — a visit from the always-struggling Bobcats!

Wait, what’s that? The Bobcats have won 4 of 5 — including 3 straight on their current road trip — and 10 of 16 overall since Paul Silas took over as coach? Still, I’d rather be facing them than the Spurs or Hornets. I guess.

In what’s becoming a regular occurrence, the Warriors are playing a game that they just can’t afford to lose if they want to keep their fast-dwindling playoff hopes alive.

The big key to me — more for the long-term future of the team than for tonight’s game — is the Biedrins-Udoh dynamic. Will Smart stick with the Latvian and see if he can get *any* production from the big guy? Or will he have a short hook and start giving Udoh more minutes at the 5, especially since Lacob made noise about wanting to see more from the rookie during his Radnich interview yesterday? We’ll find out tonight…

1
26
Jan

Preview: Hornets at Warriors

New Orleans
Hornets

@

Golden State
Warriors

Oracle Arena
7:30pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
January 5, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 110
Hornets 103
 
January 26, 2011 • Recap
Hornets 112
Warriors 103
 
February 15, 2011 • Recap
Hornets 89
Warriors 109
 

The going doesn’t get any easier for the Warriors, as the red-hot Hornets — winners of 9 straight — visit Oracle tonight. What to watch for tonight:

  • Backcourt health. Curry tweaked his ankle in practice yesterday (though he’s expected to start), and Monta hasn’t been the same since tweaking his ankle last Friday. We need both to perform at a much higher level than we saw on Monday for the Warriors to have a chance. Silver lining: Chris Paul also tweaked his ankle recently, so maybe that will balance things out a bit.
  • Goose ‘em. Biedrins has been on a horrible streak lately, with almost non-existent scoring, prolific fouling, and so-so rebounding in limited minutes. The team needs Andris to get back on track, and fast. But does he have anything left in the tank these days?
  • Recapture the magic. The Warriors’ win against the Hornets in New Orleans was one of the biggest momentum changers of the season — instead of a 1-4 trip, they finished 2-3 and came home on a high note. But they haven’t beaten a good team since (unless you count the home win against the Clippers, and I don’t), and things are going to completely slip away unless they start beating some quality teams on this homestand. Will they react similarly with their backs once again up against the wall?
3
24
Jan

Preview: Spurs at Warriors

San Antonio
Spurs

@

Golden State
Warriors

Oracle Arena
7:30pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
November 30, 2010 • Recap
Spurs 118
Warriors 98
 
December 8, 2010 • Recap
Warriors 94
Spurs 111
 
January 24, 2011 • Recap
Spurs 113
Warriors 102
 
March 21, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 96
Spurs 111
 

The league-leading Spurs come to Oakland tonight, providing the best home challenge the Warriors have had since the Lakers came to town a few weeks ago. A win here would be the best evidence yet that this team can compete for the 8th spot this year, and at the very least you’d like to see them avoid the 20-point spanking the Spurs handed out in this building back in November.

0
22
Jan

Preview: Warriors at Clippers

Golden State
Warriors

@

Los Angeles
Clippers

Staples Center
7:30pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
October 29, 2010 • Recap
Clippers 91
Warriors 109
 
January 9, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 91
Clippers 105
 
January 14, 2011 • Recap
Clippers 112
Warriors 122
 
January 22, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 109
Clippers 113
 

The Warriors face the Clippers for the 4th and last time tonight. The Clippers have been playing well, but the Warriors beat them last time in Oakland so it can be done. Would be great to get another W before the Spurs come in to town, though it’s going to be tough against a Clippers team that last played on Thursday.

Monta is a game-time decision, so if he’s out we’ll need big contributions from Curry and Reggie Williams to be competitive. Let’s see if they get a lift from the last-minute win over the Kings, or if they lack urgency as a result of avoiding disaster.

5
21
Jan

Preview: Kings at Warriors

Sacramento
Kings

@

Golden State
Warriors

Oracle Arena
7:30pm | CSNBA

Official Game Preview

2010-11 Meetings
December 21, 2010 • Recap
Warriors 117
Kings 109
 
January 21, 2011 • Recap
Kings 112
Warriors 119
 
March 14, 2011 • Recap
Warriors 119
Kings 129
 
April 10, 2011 • Recap
Kings 104
Warriors 103
 

The Warriors kick off the second half of the season tonight against the visiting Kings, losers of 6 of their last 7 and the hosts to perhaps the Warriors biggest win so far this season (at least, biggest given what it would have meant to lose that game). Once again, the Warriors face a must-win if they hope to return to respectability before they head back out on the road for an extended stretch (related, good to see that Lacob is also targeting an 11-4 record in their next 15 to break into positive territory.) What to watch for tonight:

  • Play like the better team — this time, for reals. Perhaps it was a bit much to expect a blowout on Wednesday against a well-coached Pacers squad, but tonight there really are no excuses. Sacramento is on a slide, and with a game tomorrow night in LA against the Clippers it would be great to give the starters a bit of rest.
  • More of the Wright stuff. Brandon Wright was the surprise contributor against Indiana, with 6 points and 12 big minutes. Let’s see if he’s the first big off the bench, or at the very least gets some run in the second quarter. I’d still be shocked if he ever becomes a consistent contributor for the dubs, but at the very least I’d love to see him build his trade value up from its current negative value.
  • 5 vs. 6. I don’t expect Udoh to get much in terms of minutes, but when he’s in there I hope to see him guard Cousins. Could be a good matchup for Udoh, as Cousins’ relative rawness means he won’t be pulling any crafty veteran moves on Udoh. A solid block or two could go a long way toward easing the pain of last season’s late “run” that gave the Warriors the 6th pick instead of the 5th.