Warriors Put Up Good Fight in Loss to Pacers

In a game that seemed to be more intense and more amped-up than a typical regular season game, the Golden State Warriors put forth a valiant effort in a 102-94 loss to the Indiana Pacers at Oracle Arena on Monday night. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

In a game that seemed to be more intense and more amped-up than a typical regular season game, the Golden State Warriors put forth a valiant effort in a 102-94 loss to the Indiana Pacers at Oracle Arena on Monday night.

Down by as many as 20 in the second half, the Warriors (26-17) rallied to cut the lead to 79-77 early in the fourth quarter. However, Paul George and the Pacers (33-7) were able to execute down the stretch, going on a 9-2 run after the Warriors’ initial push. The Warriors final gasp was taken when Stephen Curry forced up and missed an ill-advised three-pointer with his team down 98-94 with 15 seconds to play.

Ultimately, the Warriors had no answer for the Pacers’ depth and swarming defense, which is statistically the best in the league. The Warriors shot just 40 percent from the field, and struggled to find their footing early on that led to the big deficit.

As a testament to the Pacers’ depth, all five of Indiana’s starters scored in double figures, with George putting in 23 points to lead the way.

The Warriors were led by 24 points and nine assists from Curry, but he shot just 3-of-11 from beyond the arc, continuing his struggles from downtown. David Lee recorded yet another double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds), and Klay Thompson chipped in 17 points, making five 3-pointers.

Tale of the Tape

Warriors:

• Field Goals: 40.7% (35-86)
• 3-Pointers: 33.3% (10-30)
• Rebounds: 45
• Assists: 21
• Turnovers: 15

Pacers: 

• Field Goals: 45.1% (41-91)
• 3-Pointers: 42.1% (8-19)
• Rebounds: 52
• Assists: 19
• Turnovers: 14

Bogut Hurt?

Andrew Bogut left the game momentarily late in the fourth quarter with an apparent left knee injury, getting looked at by the training and later going into the locker room. However, he did come back to finish the game.

According to head coach Mark Jackson, Bogut “banged knees” and “was good return” when he did. Bogut played the most that he has in a while, scoring 10 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in 31 minutes. It was obvious that the Warriors needed him on the court as much as possible to match up with Roy Hibbert and the rest of the Pacers’ bigs, because once he left in the fourth, the Pacers scored two consecutive baskets on tip-ins.

Measuring Stick

Playing against the best team in the league, this game was a measuring stick for the Warriors, and they put up a good fight. The Warriors simply do not have the depth to beat the Pacers, as the Warriors’ bench play has been an issue all year. The starters played heavy minutes, while the bench was non-existant yet again.

Good to Know

Here is a stat that was thrown out in our game preview: Coming into tonight, the Warriors were 19-2 when holding opponents to under 100 points, while the Pacers were 12-1 when scoring over 100 points.

The final score? 102-94 Pacers.

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Does the home crowd really help the Warriors that much?

And also this, from Charles Barkley on Klay Thompson:

Ok, then.

What’s on Tap

The Warriors will enjoy three days off before playing the Timberwolves at home on Friday.