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The second week of the 2018-19 NBA season was a very strong one for the Golden State Warriors. Behind dynamic performances from their two MVPs, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, the team had a perfect week, going 4-0.
Let’s review the stellar week that was.
Performance this week
Record: 4-0
Point differential: +76
Year to date
Record: 6-1
Home record: 3-0
Road record: 3-1
Offensive rating: 1st (116.7)
Defensive rating: 9th (104.8)
Net rating: 2nd (+11.9)
Conference standings: 1st (one-game lead)
Results
Game #4: Golden State Warriors 123, Phoenix Suns 103
It took until the fourth game of the year, but the Warriors finally got their first blowout. As a result, the bench was emptied, allowing for valuable playing time for many youngsters, including rookie Jacob Evans, who made his NBA debut.
Top performer: Steph Curry - 29 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 11-18 FG, 6-13 3FG
Recap: Here.
Game #5: Golden State Warriors 144, Washington Wizards 122
It had been a while since we’d seen Steph Curry truly go off. But he had one of the greatest performances of his career against the Wizards, as he nailed 11 threes from a variety of impossible spots. He finished with 51 points, and sat the entire fourth quarter.
Top performer: Steph Curry - 51 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 15-24 FG, 11-16 3FG
Recap: Here.
Game #6: Golden State Warriors 128, New York Knicks 100
After sleepwalking through three quarters, the Warriors flexed their collective muscles in the fourth against the Knicks. Led by a thoroughly dominant performance from Kevin Durant, Golden State outscored New York by a whopping 31 points in the final period alone.
Top performer: Kevin Durant - 41 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 17-24 FG, 5-9 3FG
Recap: Here.
Game #7: Golden State Warriors 120, Brooklyn Nets 114
The Dubs’ second game in New York was the opposite of their first - they gathered a huge lead, before letting much of it go in the fourth quarter. Then again, they spent a weekend in New York, so can you blame them for running a little low on energy?
Top performer: Kevin Durant - 34 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 11-20 FG
Recap: Here.
The week’s big stories
Superstar comfort
As good as the Warriors have been, we’ve been waiting two years for Steph Curry and Kevin Durant to fully click and look completely comfortable with each other. That happened this week, as both players looked completely free and aggressive. The efficiency of both players was bonkers, and each seemed to know exactly when they were in rhythm, and when their partner was.
It was beautiful, and, frankly, unstoppable.
Curry erupts
On a related note, Curry had perhaps his best week of play since Durant joined the team. He has scored at least 29 points in all seven of the team’s games, and looks like the version of himself that won two MVPs.
McKinnie leads the bench
Alfonzo McKinnie was brought on to hold Patrick McCaw’s spot until the contract dispute was resolved. But so far, McKinnie appears to be offering the team more value than McCaw would have.
The wing has been aggressive - but not reckless - on offense, spacing the floor, cutting, and getting out in transition. His defense has been nice, and his rebounding spectacular. He’s earned a role, and is averaging nearly 10 minutes per game.