David West, Omri Casspi and Kevon Looney all played crucial roles in the second half to help lead the Warriors all the way back from 18 points down to beat the Wizards 120-117 on Friday night. Golden State trailed for the vast majority of the contest, but opened the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run, pulled ahead minutes later and held on through the final seconds to complete the comeback victory. Kevin Durant led all scorers and notched a double-double with 31 points and 11 rebounds. Stephen Curry totaled 20 points and eight assists, while West came off the bench to lead all reserves with 16 points.
GAME LEADERS
DEPTH DELIVERS
On a night when the Warriors were already without Shaun Livingston (not with team) and Jordan Bell (inactive) and lost Draymond Green to an ejection just prior to halftime, the Dubs’ depth delivered when they were needed most. David West almost single-handedly kept Golden State in the game in the second quarter, when he shot a perfect 5-of-5 from the field for 10 points in an eight-minute span. Then there was Omri Casspi, who didn’t see the court until the midway point of the third quarter when the Warriors trailed by 16, but went on to finish the contest a game-best plus-17 in 13 minutes of action. Finally, Kevon Looney provided perhaps the best two-way stretch of his young career in the fourth quarter. After re-entering with 4:32 remaining in the final frame and the Dubs down two, Looney got a dunk on the ensuing possession to tie the score, and would add another five points and two defensive rebounds over the next two minutes to put Golden State in front for good.
A TALE OF TWO SHOOTING HALVES
Golden State could not buy a long-range basket in the first half. They shot 1-of-9 from three-point range in the first quarter, and followed that up with a 2-of-11 performance from long distance in the second. Meanwhile, the Wizards made 11 of their 17 first half attempts from three-point range. As the second half proceeded, however, the Dubs began to find their stroke. Golden State shot 3-of-8 from beyond the arc in the third frame, with Curry making two of his four attempts in the quarter. Finally, the Warriors made four of 10 three-point attempts in the deciding fourth quarter to finish 10-of-38 in the game. It certainly wasn’t Golden State’s best shooting performance of the season, but it proved to be just enough.
CELEBRATING A WARRIORS LEGEND
The exciting finish capped off a fun night on Warriors Ground in honor of Warriors Legend Al Attles. Attles, who is in his 58th consecutive year with the franchise, has held every position in the organization from player to coach to general manager and, currently, Community Ambassador. It was Al Attles Bobblehead Night at Oracle Arena, and all fans had a chance to take a photo with an eight-foot full-size bobblehead in his likeness. Attles’ wife and son were presented with a gift during a first quarter break, and a six-minute video feature on his tenure with the franchise was played at halftime. Additionally, Steve Kerr got in on the fun by dressing up in retro attire in honor of Golden State’s former coach.
SPEAKING OF RETRO
Oracle Arena went all out to turn back time, as the traditional center court logo was replaced with that of the classic logo Golden State used during the 1980’s. Additionally, the Warriors debuted their new Classic Edition uniforms, which feature elements similar to the uniforms worn by the Warriors during the mid 80’s (1983-84 through 1987-88), including a white color base with similar font and logo worn most famously in Sleepy Floyd’s “Superman” playoff performance against the Los Angeles Lakers. Warriors Classic Edition jerseys for every player on the roster are available for purchase on warriors.com.
UP NEXT
The Warriors close out their current three-game homestand on Sunday night against the Detroit Pistons, who will be making their only trip to Oracle Arena this season. The game falls on Filipino Heritage Night, presented by Cache Creek.