Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Thursday, December 12th.
The Golden State Warriors’ hopes of competing for the NBA Cup championship in Las Vegas came crashing down on Wednesday night, after a heartbreaking 91-90 defeat against the Houston Rockets. It was a dramatic finish, with a controversial loose ball foul call against Golden State giving Houston the go-ahead free-throws that would win them the game. Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr was left irate about it during his postgame presser.
STEVE KERR: "I'm pissed off. I wanted to go to Las Vegas. We wanted to win this Cup. We aren't going because of a loose ball foul, 80 feet from the basket, with the game on the line. I've never seen anything like it in my life. That was ridiculous. Thank you."
— KNBR (@KNBR) December 12, 2024
(leaves podium) pic.twitter.com/mDK7aA2eMm
With the loss, the Warriors are officially eliminated from the midseason tournament. They’ll now return home where they will host the Dallas Mavericks at the Chase Center for “just another regular season game” on Sunday.
The Dubs will host the Dallas Mavericks this Sunday at Chase Center (5:30p PT). pic.twitter.com/aBRCXobZzU
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 12, 2024
Although it may not have the stakes of a tournament championship, this consolation matchup should have the Warriors plenty motivated. Former Warrior Klay Thompson returns to the Bay Area as a member of the Mavericks for the second time this season, adding a layer of intensity to the contest. While their first meeting in November featured extravagant pregame festivities and a thrilling 120-117 Warriors victory, this time the focus will likely remain on the court, as Golden State looks to bounce back after a frustrating tournament exit.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Thursday, December 12th:
"I don't even understand what just happened"
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 12, 2024
The Guys reacted to Steve Kerr's postgame comments after the late-game drama pic.twitter.com/cGBZTlTToT
“The pattern of scoreless droughts down the stretch has to be addressed or else we’ll be a mediocre team,” Curry said. “I’ll take responsibility for not being able to get us organized and not being able to finish plays. Ball’s in my hands. I got to make shots.
“But I think we can all address certain sets that can get us into better shot-creation type opportunities knowing how teams are trying to guard us, especially the last five minutes. We’re talking about it. We’re experimenting. That’ll be the defining point of our entire season. If we figure it out or if we don’t. Because we’re playing well enough to win most games. That’s a good sign and a bad sign.”
Here’s Bill Kennedy’s explanation of the loose ball foul from the Pool Report pic.twitter.com/ekUPkFW4mH
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) December 12, 2024
The Warriors were at their worst, submitting an 18-point first quarter deserving of the trash bin, and followed it with a 19-point second quarter that belongs in the incinerator.
They shot 16 of 38 from the field, 4 of 22 from beyond the arc, 1 of 4 from the line and headed for the locker room with 37 points, their lowest first-half output this season.
Golden State committed 14 turnovers in the half, their highest total in any half this season. Those gifts turned into 16 points for the Rockets.
Nikola Vucevic, Bulls: He’s a bit of a stat-padder, but Vucevic is a true stretch-5. At 34, he’s kind of an old-man’s Markkanen, and making considerably less — $20 million this season, $21.5 million next season. That salary range is a ‘tweener for the Warriors. It’d take more than Melton’s contract, but I don’t think the Warriors would want to put Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II, or Podziemski into the offer.
Myles Turner, Pacers: Something’s gone wrong in Indiana this season. And Turner is a pending free agent, so could be acquirable at the deadline. Turner, still only 28, is another true stretch-5 and is making a palatable $20 million this season.
“We’re going to Vegas,” Young said, “so that’s what I had to.”
When he’s at Madison Square Garden, always bet on Young.
The court was orange this time, but otherwise it looked and felt like the 2021 playoffs. The Knicks had just been eliminated, and Young was celebrating in the middle of their arena.
The star guard had 22 points and 11 assists, leading the Hawks to a 108-100 victory in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. They will head to Las Vegas to play the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
In other words, Hartenstein would be a valuable addition even if he weren’t an elite defender—but that’s his biggest strength! Leading advanced stats EPM and DARKO rank Hartenstein among the five best defenders in the game, and his teams have been stingier defensively with him on the court in every season of his career, per CtG.
Hartenstein is an elite rim protector, and he’s exceptionally mobile for a 7-footer. Multiple times in Tuesday’s game, the Thunder blitzed a Doncic pick-and-roll, and Hartenstein was able to scoot all the way out near midcourt to trap the Dallas superstar, then recover back to the rim in time to alter another opponent’s shot.
Updated #EmiratesNBACup Bracket
— NBA (@NBA) December 12, 2024
▪️ ATL advances to East Semifinals
▪️ HOU advances to West Semifinals
The stage is set for Saturday on TNT & ABC! pic.twitter.com/tY1xRZLKtg
Brandin Podziemski
31 minutes, 8 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 3-for-9 shooting, 2-for-5 threes, 44.4% TS, +4
Not a perfect game by Podziemski by any stretch of the imagination. But he was in the closing lineup, and he was in the closing lineup for a reason. His energy was, at times, a game changer. And like Kuminga, some of his misses were desperation shots to try and save the team ... including a blocked three at the buzzer that I sure as hell would like to see another angle of.
Grade: B-
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