Golden State Warriors fall to Miami Heat, Dion Waiters
The Golden State Warriors ran out of gas as Dion Waiters hit a clutch winner to give the Miami Heat the victory on Monday night.
Final. 105. 110. 102. 41
Every now and then, the Golden State Warriors hit a stretch in the season where it feels like they’re playing every night. There isn’t a team in the NBA that is free from the same issues, so it’s always interesting to see how the Warriors perform on tired leg. Against the Miami Heat, Golden State had their hands full.
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The first quarter started out as an offensive showcase between the two sides and it appeared the Heat were going to try and run a tired Golden State team out of the building. The second quarter was the complete opposite of the first quarter. Both teams hit a lull and each side scored 18 points going into the half.
In the second half, it turned into the Dion Waiters show. Every time the Warriors tried to make a run, the Warriors would watch Waiters come back and hit a huge three. While the Warriors had moved the ball with ease and racked up 16 assists in the first half, the ball seemed to stop moving in the second half.
Stephen Curry tried his best to get the ball to his teammates, but the struggles of the night were highlighted by Zaza Pachulia missing an open look off a great feed from Curry. Things would seemingly unravel from there. Kevin Durant would pick up a flagrant foul for shoving Hassan Whiteside and Pachulia would get tossed for slapping Luke Babbitt.
The Heat would continue to push the pace and as time wound down in the fourth quarter the game appeared all but over. However, the Warriors didn’t roll over and put themselves right back in it with some key plays.
Draymond Green would feed Durant with a lob and Klay Thompson would hit a shot of his own to help cut the deficit and start a run. The Warriors cut the deficit to one and after Goran Dragic missed a free throw, they had a chance to tie or win the game with time running out.
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Durant worked his way to the hoop for the slam and they somehow managed to tie it. With no timeouts left, the Heat had to run a play to end the game. In the same vain as the rest of the game, Waiters came down and put in the winning three to sink Golden State.
The Warriors will now get a day to rest as they prepare for a Stephen Curry homecoming against the Hornets. It was just one of those nights and it’s something they can learn from as they move forward.