Tag: Warriors news

Marquese Chriss logs another impressive game in chase for Warriors’ future starting center spot

Marquese Chriss registered a double-double against the Sacramento Kings in only 25 minutes.

Even with a healthy Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the Golden State Warriors are still missing a true starting center. However, the arrival of Marquese Chriss might fill that opening.

The 2019-20 season has been filled with ups and downs for Chriss. He was signed during training camp and later waived midway through the season when the team needed to open a roster spot for Damion Lee.

The Washington Husky product was later brought back to Golden State on a two-way contract and is now on his way to being the Warriors’ starting center of the future.

The former lottery pick was held out against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday with a calf injury, but was able to suit up against his hometown team.

The Sacramento native tallied 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field while grabbing 10 rebounds. Against the Sacramento Kings, Chriss logged his second game scoring over 20 points with Golden State. Chriss recorded his fifth double-double of the season in only 25 minutes against the Kings.

After the Warriors 112-94 loss to their Northern California rival, Steve Kerr praised the performance of Chriss against the Kings.

Via Golden State Warriors Soundcloud:

I thought Marquese was great again. He’s strung together a really good couple of months here for us. He’s playing with a lot of energy and confidence; he was great again tonight.

Golden State trading Willie Cauley-Stein to the Dallas Mavericks prior to the NBA trade deadline opened an opportunity for Chriss, and he’s taken advantage. Since the trade, Chriss has started 11 games and is averaging 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest.

The 22-year-old center’s number could rise once Curry returns from injury. The former two-time Most Valuable Player has a knack for pulling defenders his way, opening up space underneath for the athletic ability of Chriss to shine.

If Curry can return by his target date of March 1, the new center-point guard duo will have 22 games to build chemistry into the offseason. How the two play in the final stretch of games will play a role in the candidacy for Chriss to win the Warriors starting center spot next season.

Steve Kerr on Dragan Bender’s debut: ‘Not a bad night for a guy who literally hasn’t had a practice with us’

Steve Kerr was impressed with Dragan Bender’s play in his Golden State Warriors debut after having zero practices with the team.

In the 2019-20 season, the Golden State Warriors rotation has spun into new groupings daily. The constant adjustments to the roster from either trades or injuries has given the Warriors an up and down rotation.

Since the trade deadline, Steve Kerr has sent out a fresh and unfamiliar group of players to the floor to represent the Warriors. A significant change for a team that made five straight NBA Finals appearances with a steady core.

The newest member of the Golden State Warriors is Croatian big man Dragan Bender. The former lottery pick signed a 10-day contract with the Warriors on Sunday, and only hours later made his debut at Chase Center in San Francisco against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Steve Kerr spoke to reporters after the Warriors’ loss to the Pelicans about Bender’s debut.

Via Sam Hustis of KNBR:

He’s got a lot of skill. We saw him knock down a couple of shots, make some passes. He’s got good size. Not a bad night for a guy who literally hasn’t had a practice with us — flew in last night. It’ll be good for him to get a couple of practices with us under his belt and get more comfortable as the week goes on.

The 22-year old played 20 minutes in his first game with the Warriors, scoring six points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field. Both of Bender’s makes came from beyond the arc.

The former Milwaukee Buck added five rebounds, three assists and a block against 2019 top-pick Zion Williamson.

The newest Warrior took advantage of the open playing time as Golden State was without both Draymond Green and Marquese Chriss due to injuries. Bender hasn’t played a game since Jan. 24, but registered the third-most minutes he’s received all season in his Golden State debut.

Bender has three games left to prove to Kerr and Golden State he belongs with the team after his 10-day contract expires.

Members of the Warriors will attend Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s memorial service in Los Angeles

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Bob Myers will represent the Golden State Warriors at Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s memorial service.

The impact of Kobe Bryant’s tragic passing is still making waves through the NBA. Players from across the league have poured emotional tributes on the court and through social media in Bryant’s honor.

Members of the Golden State Warriors, including Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, have used social media to share their feelings on Bryant’s loss.

In their first home game since his passing, the Warriors paid respect to the fallen Lakers legend. During the game, Curry wore a Bryant jersey on the sideline.

The Staples Center will host a memorial service for Bryant and his daughter Gianna on Monday in Los Angeles.

After Golden State’s loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night, Steve Kerr spoke to reporters about Bryant’s upcoming memorial.

Via Lets Go Warriors:

Steph and Draymond will go down to LA for the service with Bob. And the rest of the staff and team will stay here and practice tomorrow. It’ll be a tough day for the NBA, and it’s been a tough few weeks for everybody, and it doesn’t seem real; it really doesn’t. It’s just a constant reminder when you hear his name, when you see him on TV — see images. It’s just a constant reminder of what happened and how tragic it was and how tragic it is for his family. We will all be thinking of Vanessa [Bryant] and the family, and the Lakers. And then the service tomorrow, like I said; Draymond, Steph and Bob will represent us there.

Along with Curry, Thompson and Bob Myers, Klay Thompson is expected to attend the service, according to Conor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Warriors will travel to Bryant’s home arena as a full team on April 7 in their final game against the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2019-20 season.

The Zion Williamson experience leads Pelicans to comeback win vs. Warriors, 115-101

Zion Williamson lived up to the hype against the Golden State Warriors, tallying 28 points and seven rebounds in his first game at Chase Center.

As the New Orleans Pelicans push towards a late playoff run, the Golden State Warriors were next in line trying to play spoiler.

The Warriors have struggled out of the gate throughout the season. Yet, against the Pelicans, the Dubs jumped out to an early lead. Damion Lee scored 15 of his Golden State game-high 22 points in the opening period on six of eight shooting from the field. Lee was able to knock down four three-pointers early, giving Golden State a 33-29 lead in the first quarter.

The Warriors went into the locker room with a 56-46 edge at halftime. However, when the second half started, the Pelicans took over.

The Warriors were without not only Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, as both Marquese Chriss and Draymond Green were ruled out due to injury, and the Pelicans took advantage.

Jrue Holiday exposed the Warriors’ young rotation, slowing down and controlling the game in the second half. Holiday finished the game with a near triple-double, tallying 23 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds. The UCLA product added 21 of his points along with 12 assists in the second half.

The Pelicans sealed their second-half comeback win, 115-101 with Holiday’s veteran play and the impact of Zion Williamson.

The Zion Williamson experience

The 2019 top pick made his Chase Center debut and did not disappoint. The Duke product registered a game-high 28 points on 13-of-20 shooting, with seven rebounds and two assists. Williamson slammed down one of his signature dunks in a fast break against Golden State.

The case for JTA

Down the final stretch of the season, who steps up from the back end of Golden State’s rotation, will be a critical factor in the future. The Warriors will need to find some in-house options for their roster next year with several expensive contracts already on the books.

Juan Toscano-Anderson made a case for a future roster spot with his performance against the Pelicans. Toscano-Anderson brought energy off the bench, scoring a career-high 16 points with eight rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes.

The debut of Dragan

Only hours after signing a 10-day contract, Dragan Bender made his Golden State Warriors debut against the Pelicans. The former lottery pick played 20 minutes and knocked down two 3-pointers.

Bender was active with his opportunity, punching numbers up and down the box score. The 22-year-old registered five rebounds, three assists and a block on Williamson. Bender will have three games left on his 10-day contract to prove to Golden State he belongs.

Watch: Steph Curry throws down off the backboard dunk in pregame workout

Watch Stephen Curry throw down an off the backboard alley-oop dunk in a pregame workout before the Warriors play the New Orleans Pelicans.

If his recovery goes to plan, Stephen Curry could be returning to the Golden State Warriors in one week. The two-time Most Valuable Player has missed all but four games in the 2019-20 season for the Golden State Warriors. However, over the past couple of months, Curry has checked off several boxes in his journey back to the court.

The six-time All-Star has been traveling with his teammates on road trips and participating in shooting workouts at Warriors practices. In one of the final steps of his broken hand rehab, Curry has been cleared for full-contact. In Golden State’s recent practice, Curry was involved in a scrimmage as he gears up for his return.

Curry’s been showing off his effortless jump shot throughout his rehab. Yet, when the New Orleans Pelicans came to San Francisco, the Davidson product took a different approach to his pregame warmup.

Before the Warriors tipped off against Zion Williamson and the Pelicans, Curry slammed down an off the backboard dunk in front of the Chase Center crowd.

Via the Golden State Warriors:

If Curry can return March 1 against the Washington Wizards, he will have 22 games to finish out the season.

Kevon Looney thinks Steph Curry can elevate Andrew Wiggins’ game to ‘another level’

Kevon Looney thinks Stephen Curry has the ability to raise Andrew Wiggins’ game with the Warriors to ‘another level.’

Andrew Wiggins passed his first impression with the Golden State Warriors with flying colors. The newest member of the Warriors has impressed on both ends of the floor in an almost seamless fit.

Wiggins’ led the Warriors in scoring in two of the first four games in San Francisco, averaging 22.7 points per game. The former Rookie of the Year has been efficient in Golden State, shooting 57.9 % from the field while knocking down 10-of-19 shots from beyond the arc.

The 2014 first overall draft pick has especially shown up on the defensive end of the court. He’s been challenged with guarding All-Star caliber players like James Harden, LeBron James and Devin Booker. As a member of the Warriors, Wiggins has already registered career highs in blocks (4) and steals (5).

After the Warriors loss to the Houston Rockets, Kevon Looney had high praise for Wiggins. However, the UCLA product thinks his new teammate’s game could improve once Stephen Curry returns from injury.

Via Eran Soroka:

I think that’s going to be great for him — playing with Steph [Curry] is great for everybody. He makes everybody look great, he makes everybody feel comfortable and it’s a lot of fun when he’s out on the court. I think playing with Steph is going to take his game to another level, just because Steph is that type of player — he took my game to another level, took everybody on this team to another level, you probably didn’t know you could go to. It’s going to be exciting when Steph gets back and I think Wiggins is going to have a lot of fun.

Curry’s return from his broken hand injury is scheduled to take place in March, according to reports, giving him and Wiggins around 20 games together. How Wiggins and Curry play off of each other throughout the remainder of the season will give Golden State a small glimpse of what their core could look like next season.

Watch: Steph Curry puts on a shooting show at Warriors practice

While rehabbing his broken hand injury, Stephen Curry put on a show in the latest Golden State Warriors practice.

As the post-All-Star break portion of the Golden State Warriors season begins, all eyes will be on Stephen Curry. The two-time Most Valuable Player has only played four games all season due to a broken hand, but his long-awaited return could be nearing.

Over the past couple of months, Curry has jumped several hurdles in his road back to the court. Recently, the injured guard has been working out and traveling on the road with his teammates.

Curry has participated in portions of practice, but he’s yet to take part in contact drills. In a down season, the Warriors are using caution with their franchise player’s return.

The six-time All-Star may be dealing with an injury, but it hasn’t slowed down his picturesque jump shot. During Golden State’s practice at the end of the All-Star break, Curry put on a show when it came to shooting.

Via NBC Bay Area’s Anthony Flores:

Curry’s practice didn’t end with just shooting; the Davidson product was put through different drills with the Warriors coaching staff.

Via KNBR’s Jake Hutchinson:

Reports have targeted March as the time for Curry’s return to action, giving the point guard around 20 games with Golden State. Although the Warriors are out of the playoff picture entirely, Curry’s remaining time with Golden State in the 2019-20 season is precious.

The Warriors hopes of returning to the top of NBA standings next season rests on the health of Curry. How he responds after missing a significant chunk of the season is a question that needs to be answered in Golden State.