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Warriors Buckle Down and Beat the Bucks

Established 1946 | 7-time NBA Champions

The Warriors’ tightened up their defense in the fourth quarter and opened their five-game road trip with a 108-94 victory in Milwaukee on Friday.

TEAM LEADERS

After losing a 14-point halftime advantage in a disastrous third quarter, the Warriors turned it around in the fourth quarter and big 3-pointers from Kevin Durant and Draymond Green helped seal the win.

Durant finished with a game-high 26 points, Green stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, while Kevon Looney provided a tremendous lift off the bench as the Dubs extended their road winning streak to 11 straight games.

LOONEY DELIVERS IN HOMETOWN
With the game in his hometown of Milwaukee, Kevon Looney had about 40 friends and family in attendance. And there is no doubt they like what they saw out of the third-year pro. Upon checking into the game in the first quarter, Looney made an instant positive impact. He made a shot four seconds after checking into the game, and from there he made plays all over the court. Looney shot 3-from-3 from the floor for nine points, he grabbed eight rebounds, six of them offensive, and dished out three assists. Looney was on the floor with the game on the line, including the last seven minutes in which the Dubs extended their four-point lead to double digits.

STRONG BENCH EFFORT
Looney’s strong play was indicative of the rest of the Warriors’ backups. With the team once again playing without Stephen Curry, the Dubs showed off their depth. David West made multiple key baskets when the game’s physicality made it difficult for both teams to score, Shaun Livingston delivered a key jumper in the fourth quarter, and despite not making a shot, Andre Iguodala played a strong game with five assists and the highest plus/minus rating in the game (+21). And perhaps the highlight of the night belonged to Nick Young, who shot 3-for-3 from the floor and drilled a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter.

KLAY’S STREAK SNAPPED
The Warriors shot 55 percent from the field, but one player who struggled to get decent looks was Klay Thompson. He missed both of his 3-point attempts, ending his streak of 95 consecutive games with a made trey, the third longest such streak in NBA history.

TURNING IT AROUND
The Dubs improved to 9-0 following a loss this season, and in the Steve Kerr era (three and a half seasons), the team has lost consecutive games just six times. The Dubs turned this one around in the fourth quarter. The Bucks, the 25th best 3-point shooting team in the league, shot 6-for-8 from distance in the third quarter and out-scored the Dubs 33-17 in the period. The Warriors entered the fourth quarter down two but soon took the lead behind some stingy defense. The Dubs allowed just four points over the first eight minutes of the final period and ended the game on a 22-8 run.

UP NEXT
The Warriors won’t have much time to enjoy the win, as they will be back in action on Saturday when they visit the Raptors on the back end of a back-to-back.