Warriors come up short in showdown against Hawks.
GAME LEADERS
The first matchup between the Warriors and Hawks lived up to the hype, but the Dubs wound up on the losing end of a back-and-forth 124-116 contest in Atlanta on Friday evening. With the loss, Atlanta (42-9, .824) moved past Golden State (39-9, .813) for the best record in the NBA.
In the first half, the Warriors shot 46.0% from the field while holding the Hawks to 37.0% shooting. The Dubs also scored 30 of their 52 points in the paint, tying an Atlanta opponent season-high. It was tied 52-all at halftime but the Hawks went on to score 72 points in the second half, the most the Warriors have allowed in a half this season. The Hawks pulled away in the fourth quarter, handing the Dubs their first road loss to an Eastern Conference team.
Klay Thompson led the squad with a game-high 29 points, five assists and four rebounds while Stephen Curry finished with 26 points (15 in the third quarter), nine assists, two steals and two blocks. The Splash Brothers combined for 55 points and went 8-of-17 from three-point land. Draymond Green grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds to go with 12 points and six assists for his 10th double-double of the season (14th career). Four Warriors scored in double figures: Thompson, Curry, Green and Harrison Barnes (12 points). Andrew Bogut tallied five points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. Marreese Speights (six points, five rebounds) and Shaun Livingston (six points, four rebounds, three assists) made an impact off the bench.