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Counting the playoffs, this was the 308th win since Steve Kerr took over as head coach of the Golden State Warriors. I watched the previous 307, and I’m having a hard time remembering a win I enjoyed less than this one.
Ultimately, the Warriors beat the Atlanta Hawks 106-94, and that counts for something. A silver lining, maybe.
But the story was unquestionably Stephen Curry. Curry returned to the lineup for the first time in weeks, with his right ankle finally healthy enough to go. After a mesmerizing performance in which he scored 29 points on 18 shots in just 25 minutes, he left the game with a left knee strain.
Curry sustained the injury when JaVale McGee fell into his leg while contesting a shot. On the bench, Curry was visibly distraught, and as frustrated as we’ve seen him in years.
Steph exits the game after JaVale lands on his left leg pic.twitter.com/oxuJkHe2N0
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 24, 2018
After Curry hobbled to the locker room, the team announced that he had a left knee strain, and would not return. The severity of the injury is unknown, and casting a huge dark cloud over a team that was already playing without its other three All-Stars.
As for the game itself, it started off horribly. The Warriors couldn’t buy a basket, and had just 20 points with about 6:30 remaining in the second quarter. Not what they were expecting.
But the offense started to click, led by Curry and Nick Young, who finished six made threes en route to 24 points. Quinn Cook and Jordan Bell both contributed double figures, scoring 13 and 12, respectively.
But it wasn’t until the second half when the team really started to play well, thanks to some huge defensive contributions, namely from Bell and Kevon Looney. The energy showed up big time, and even when Curry headed to the locker room, the energy on the court was sustained.
Jordan Bell taking those pic.twitter.com/mEAOt36LuH
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 24, 2018
The Warriors outscored the Hawks 36-23 in the third quarter, and that was all they needed.
Unfortunately, it’s a little hard to get excited about the outcome of the game right now.
Poll
Who was your Warrior Wonder for the win against the Hawks?
This poll is closed
-
3%
Zaza Pachulia
(15 votes) -
2%
Jordan Bell
(12 votes) -
43%
Steph Curry
(212 votes) -
25%
Nick Young
(128 votes) -
1%
Patrick McCaw
(6 votes) -
1%
David West
(5 votes) -
3%
Kevon Looney
(18 votes) -
0%
Andre Iguodala
(2 votes) -
5%
JaVale McGee
(28 votes) -
12%
Quinn Cook
(60 votes) -
1%
Shaun Livingston
(7 votes)