The Golden State Warriors won their fifth straight as Steph Curry dropped 50 points and the defense shut down the Atlanta Hawks in the second half. Golden State got a standout performance from its standout star en route to a 127-113 win, improving to a 9-1 record.
The Warriors simply outworked the Hawks, who looked dangerous in the first half with impressive shot-making but fell off in the second. They outrebounded a taller team, struggled to force jump balls even when up by nearly 20 and blitzed the Hawks in transition. They ran the floor better and locked up in the half-court, holding the Hawks to under 30 points in each of the final two quarters.
Golden State shot 52.3% from the floor in the second half, including 66.7% in the third quarter when they dropped 41 on the Hawks. They were also near perfect from the line Monday, hitting 21-of-22.
Here are some player grades from the Warriors’ win over one of last year’s Eastern Conference Final competitors.