25-26 Warriors Lose Third Game in a Row in a Matchup Against the Hawks
In the penultimate spot during Golden State’s six-game road trip, Steve Kerr’s group paid a visit to the hottest team in the Eastern Conference. With a 12-2 record in their last 14 games, the Atlanta Hawks are in the middle of a jam-packed fight for seeding, with teams from fifth to tenth separated by just three games. Golden State, on the other hand, has cooled off and is 2-8 in its last 10 games. The Warriors also still have to deal with an injury-plagued stretch of matches and are called to find wins amidst their issues.
Trading Blows Early
Golden State welcomed back Quinten Post tonight, who started tonight’s contest by scoring the team’s first five points. Atlanta showed great eagerness defensively from the first quarter, jumping passing lanes and creating turnovers on multiple possessions. About midway through the first 12 minutes, Jonathan Kuminga checked into the game for the first time against his former team. However, it was Dyson Daniels who proved the most dangerous Hawk, cashing in two triples despite shooting below 15% from beyond the arc for the season. A high-scoring first frame saw the away team take a 36-35 lead, and the teams continued to exchange blows in the second.
Bench Production Keeps Golden State Close
The teams tightened their defenses, and the Hawks tried to use the three-pointer to pull away. Golden State stayed true to its identity, moving the ball until it found a good shot. Both teams took better care of the ball in the second quarter, but there was one factor that stood out on the visiting team’s behalf. The Warriors nearly outscored the Hawks' bench by almost double the points, as Kerr’s hand is forced to use more players due to the injuries. That wasn’t enough for them to go into the locker room with a lead, though, as Atlanta took a 63-61 advantage into halftime.
The Third Quarter That Ended It
The third quarter is where things started to fall apart for the Warriors. Quin Snyder’s guys jumped out on a 25-5 run to begin this period, and CJ McCollum was in the middle of Atlanta’s damage. The former Blazer, Pelican, and Wizard nearly outscored Golden State by himself, scoring the ball whichever way he pleased. Not even a minute into the third, McCollum hit a dribble combo and finished over a capable defender in Will Richard with ease, a moment in which his scoring mode activated. He finished with 15 just in this frame, and his team nearly put up a double score, 39-20, that helped open a huge margin.
Warriors Swept by Atlanta, Playoff Pressure Mounts
The Hawks only had to see out the rest of the game, which they did with no particular problems. In one of the few noteworthy plays, Kuminga scored his first bucket with nine minutes left on a hard drive to the rim. He had previously missed all seven of his field goal attempts, but finally saw one go through the net against the team that drafted but recently traded the young forward. Following their 126-110 defeat, Golden State officially got swept by Atlanta this season and dug itself an even bigger hole. In a matter of a few weeks, the Warriors have gone from competing for a spot outside of the play-in tournament to facing a real possibility of needing to win multiple games to get into the playoffs. Kerr’s group will close out this brutal road trip on Monday when they visit the Mavericks and will need to pick up the pieces immediately.
