Golden State Warriors blow 20-point lead, eke out win over the NOLA Pelicans 106-102
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT PhilBoxing.com Mon, 23 Dec 2019
Golden State Warriors’ D’Angelo Russell floats one over New Orleans Pelicans’ center Derrick Favors (22) and forward Kenrich Williams (34) Friday, December 20, 2019, in San Francisco (Photo/GSW)
December 20, 2019 San Francisco, California
The Golden State Warriors once again stared down an all-too-familiar loss after blowing a 20-point lead, but Christmas came early at the Chase Center last Friday night. D’Angelo Russell, in the clutch, had better plans in mind and played Santa Claus for the win-starved home team by sinking a 3-pointer to tie the game at 98 with a minute left.
D-Lo plunged the proverbial dagger as he sank another 22-footer breaking the seventh tie with 32.9 seconds left to make it 102-100, much to the delight of the 356th consecutive sell-out crowd. Russell capped the night with 25 points (9/20 shooting) including seven points and the game-winner in the final 2 minutes.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr enthused, “Well, that’s who he is. It’s what he did last year in Brooklyn when he really kind’of broke through in the league. He’s built in that way to close out a game because he’s not afraid to miss. That’s what it takes to be able to hit big shots. You can’t worry about missing and D-Lo is never worried about that. He just goes out and plays. He hit some big ones tonight and got it done He’s the guy, with Steph (Stephen Curry) and Klay (Thompson) out, he’s the guy we have to rely on,” and adds, ”There is no Christmas break in the NBA.” (in reference to the upcoming Christmas Day Game against the Houston Rockets).
POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO COURTESY OF PHILBOXING.COM
Damion Lee, who had 20 points and six rebounds, placed the win out of reach at 106-102 after sinking 2 at the free throw line.
With the rare win, the Warriors (6-24) snapped a five-game losing streak with their second win over the Pelicans (7-23) this season…a good start for their X’Mas 5-game home stand.
At the post-game press conference, all eyes and ears were focused on D’Angelo Russell.
(RUSSSEL) ON HIS COMFORT LEVEL DOWN THE STRETCH OF THE GAME: “Very comfortable. Like you said, I’ve been in that situation where you need that stop, you’ve got a decision to make. Either a two-for-one situation or get the last shot situation the clock is either on your side or not, so been in it plenty of times just try to take advantage and get the best shot possible.”
(RUSSELL) ON IF HE PLAYS A GAME WITHIN A GAME TO SET UP SHOTS LATE: >i>“Yeah, man. Like I said, experience is key in this league I’ve been in positions where you’re down 20 with 10 minutes left and you just see a player take over a game and you just think it’s over as a young player, or I just remember specifically playing against Chris Paul and he would just pass, and he had a strategy first quarter, second quarter he had a different strategy, third quarter and the fourth quarter is kind of his and he remembered. Also, I remember Kobe saying things like that as well. Remember, that shot is going to be there at the end of the game and stuff of that sort, so it’s just experience honestly.”
(RUSSELL) ON HIS GROWTH AND HOW HE’S BECOME SO COMFORTABLE IN BIG MOMENTS: “I think it’s just timing. Timing of growth, getting that experience. For all young players in the league that get tossed around early just because they haven’t polished as quick as others, I think that’s your team to kind of lock into your craft in the summer, lock into your craft in the film room and realize what type of player you can be. You can’t be it right away when you’re not that, so if you just get to dissect your game and know what your pros and cons and your abilities are, I think that’s where you can kind of utilize your experience. Some guys it takes four years to be as polished as they want, some guys it takes five, but I didn’t have that right away. I developed it, and for all young players out there I think that’s something you develop over time.”
(RUSSEL) ON THE TEAM’S COMPOSURE AT THE END OF THE GAME: “That’s our growth. We have a young team. We find a way. I always say young teams find a way to lose at the end of games. You hang in there and you just find a way to miss that rebound. You find a way to miss that free throw, and older teams don’t do that. They’re solid the course of the game and you just see that with a young team, and I think that’s where our growth was today. We made that free throw, we made that extra rebound, we got that stop and the results were good.”
Center Willie Cauley Stein added 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists said of the team’s composure at the finish, ”I think it’s a build-up of games ahead of that one. We have made mistakes in the end like that and it tricked off the game, so like we was really in it. We got to be perfect down the stretch to have a chance to win after blowing a 20-point lead and we just never gave into their run, that’s biggest thing in winning and losing is taking their punch and running with it and throwing a punch of our own. That’s what D-Lo (D’Angelo Russell) did at the end, he iced the game for us and then Draymond’s defense and free throws really did it. D-Lee (Damian Lee) had a tremendous game, that energy really brought us on some other stuff today.”
Cauley Stein discussed D-Lo’s offense in the fourth quarter like this: “He just took over the game with his pace and he set those shots up the whole game. That’s why D-Lo is special, he be playing a game within a game. That’s why he got free at the end because he set those shots up and I think that’s why he’s here and that’s why he’s at this level is those plays that he’s able to just make by himself.”
Forward Draymond Green, who added 10 points and eight assists described tonight’s hero Russell on his late game shots: “He really likes that time in the game and he makes big shots. That’s more about what’s inside of you and less about your actual shot. Some people make a great shooter but, in those moments, you don’t like those moments. He loves those moments and he tends to come through in big moments like that. It was great for us down the stretch for sure.”
PELICANS HEAD COACH ALVIN GENTRY ON THE GAME TONIGHT: “We didn’t start the game off the right way. We didn’t establish anything until the second quarter so already we are behind the eight ball. We turn the ball over nine times in the first quarter, things like that we can’t do especially if you are trying to win a basketball game on the road, regardless of the team you are playing. You gotta be tough and you can’t turn the ball over and you got to be able to knock down shots. At the end of the day, you can’t come on the road and shoot 42 percent (from the field), 25 (percent) from three and expect to win. From the second quarter on we did a good job, but obviously D-Lo (D’Angelo Russell) made some pretty big shots but that’s what he is supposed to do. We had a six-point lead with two and a half minutes remaining and we have to find a way to win that game.”
Notes:
Warriors:
· D’Angelo Russell tripped and ran into a lady fan at the sidelines very early in the first quarter and was doused with a drink, perhaps a margarita. He fired a three-pointer upon re-entering.
· The Warriors got a jump on the Pelicans early on, but New Orleans rallied to take an 81-78 lead on Holiday’s 39-foot buzzer-beater to end the third quarter.
· Golden State trailed 98-93 before stringing seven straight points.
· After Ingram made a pair of free throws, Russell made the go-ahead jumper just inside the arc.
· Damion Lee had 10 points in the first quarter
· Green picked up his sixth technical foul of the season in the third
· Injured star Stephen Curry made a rare appearance and sat on the bench. The two-time MVP drew a rousing ovation when he was shown on the giant video screen.
Pelicans:
· J.J. Redick, who finished with 14 points, made four 3-pointers in the third quarter.
· Jrue Holiday and Brandon Ingram each scored 25 points for New Orleans.
· Holiday sizzled in the fourth quarter and made a 20-foot jumper that put the Pelicans ahead 97-91.
· Lonzo Ball had 14 points.
· New Orleans Pelicans lost two nights after beating Minnesota on the road to end a 13-game losing streak.
