Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Friday, December 20th.
After opening the season 12-3, the Golden State Warriors are now 2-9 in their last 11 games. This downward spiral hit a new low Thursday night as the Memphis Grizzlies delivered a humiliating 51-point blowout loss to the Warriors, 144-93. While Stephen Curry acknowledges the need for urgency, the Warriors’ leader insists the team isn’t panicking.
Steph Curry: “I don’t like the ‘panic’ word. I like: accept where you are and try to change the momentum of the season. Panic kind of means you don’t have an answer. I think we do have answers. Obviously a sense of urgency, for sure.”
— Danny Emerman (@DannyEmerman) December 20, 2024
The game marked one of the most forgettable performances of Curry’s illustrious career. He failed to make a field goal for the first time in any game where he logged at least 12 minutes, finishing the night with just two points—all from free throws—on a dismal 0-of-7 shooting night.
Nevertheless, Curry remains optimistic. The Warriors’ superstar is confident that the team will get back on track and show that they are much better than their performance on Thursday.
Steph Curry believes Warriors will get out of this slump. He says the vibes are better than they were last season when they lost by 52 at Boston in March. He says Warriors are better than how they’ve been playing of late. pic.twitter.com/LICabYpkIy
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) December 20, 2024
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Friday, December 20th:
Frustrated by foul trouble, the 13-year veteran was a shocking minus-42 and Curry was a minus-41.
“First time for everything, right?” Curry said. “I never thought that would be a situation or a result of the game. From the very jump they kind of punched us in the mouth. We didn’t have an answer.
“... That was kind of embarrassing.”
Draymond Green’s minutes also weren’t of much help. Kerr inserted him back into the starting lineup ahead of Jonathan Kuminga, who had started the previous six games, because he wanted to reestablish a defensive identity after the Mavericks put up 143 points on them Sunday. Green was ineffective early, committing four first-half fouls in 10 minutes. He went scoreless, had four turnovers and the Warriors lost his 19 minutes by 42 points.
The 51-point margin is tied for the fourth-worst loss ever by the Warriors, both on the road and overall. And if not for a last-second Brandin Podziemski layup at the final buzzer, it would have tied for their second-worst defeat.
Additionally, Thursday’s blowout marked the largest margin of defeat of the 2024-25 NBA season — by any team.
If there’s a bright side for Golden State, though, this wasn’t even its worst loss of 2024; the Boston Celtics’ 52-point win back in March keeps that honor.
Schroder on acclimating to the Warriors: "It's challenging -- and I love that. Coming to a new organization with great players, I want to see what they do first. Of course, I've got to play my game, but I still like to feel comfortable. It's going to take a little bit of time."
— Sam Gordon (@BySamGordon) December 20, 2024
Wembanyama tossed an alley-oop to himself off the backboard for a two-handed poster jam that left teammates still in awe well after the final buzzer.
“Sometimes, you just feel it,” Wembanyama said of the freelance nature of the play. “I think the way we read their coverage was good, and having good spacing to leave space on the isos [was good]. I think it was a combination of things. There’s not one answer, but the fact we’ve adapted to the different types of defenses [teams are playing], this is what I’m talking about.”
But Towns has been terrific from an offensive standpoint, averaging 24.8 points, a league-leading 13.9 rebounds and shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3-point land. The move back to center after playing two seasons at power forward alongside Rudy Gobert has been an offensive boon for both him and the Knicks.
“We used to call it the cheat code,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said of playing Towns at center. “It’s just a cheat code for great offense. His ability to score at all levels and distort the floor and all that kind of stuff, it’s definitely, definitely, definitely a driver of great offense.”
The All-Tournament Team for the #EmiratesNBACup:
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 19, 2024
▪️ Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
▪️ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
▪️ Damian Lillard, Milwaukee Bucks
▪️ Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
▪️ Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks pic.twitter.com/42uTA6BrFd
Dennis Schröder
22 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls, 2-for-12 shooting, 0-for-4 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, 19.4% TS, -34
Schröder’s Warriors debut didn’t really go according to plan. He couldn’t find any rhythm on offense, and while he had a few nice plays running the offense to show off his quarterback skills, he also was one of their worst turnover offenders.
Maybe he was just trying to fit in with his new team by copying what they were doing.
Grade: D+
Dub Nation, ALL-STAR VOTING HAS BEGUN ‼️#NBAAllStar » https://t.co/UJvZISTyBR pic.twitter.com/MSbZJaUXjG
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 19, 2024
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