Bogut’s Defense Locks Down Hawks for 50th Win

The Golden State Warriors improved to 50-5, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 102-92 on Stephen Curry‘s 36 points and Andrew Bogut‘s defensive prowess.

The Warriors looked to push the ball after every rebound or Atlanta made basket. Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 17 in the first period. They moved the ball around quickly, dishing out 9 assists on 12 field goals. Golden State won the fast break battle 12-0, turning their 5 steals into quick offense. They defended the Hawks well, limiting them to just 31.8% shooting from the field. The Warriors doubled up the Hawks, winning the quarter 30-15.

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The second quarter started off slow for Golden State as they couldn’t quite get their offense going. Atlanta started to chip away at the lead until Curry came back in. Led by the MVP, the Warriors hit 4/8 threes in the second quarter to push the lead all the way up to 19. Curry dazzled as per usual, using his full arsenal of moves to get his shots off including losing his handle and dribbling the ball off his shin, recovering and splashing a fading three over Dennis Schröder. This quarter was closer, but the Warriors still won it 28-24.

The game was starting to look like a runaway going into the half, but the game turned around very quickly in the third. The Hawks turned up their defensive pressure, doubling Curry on the high screens and leaving Andre Iguodala open to fire away. Golden State couldn’t find the free-flowing, easy offense that built them the lead in the first half. The Hawks went on a 30-9 run to get all the way back into the game. A Thabo Sefalosha three was waved off at the buzzer so the Warriors barely held onto their 76-75 lead. The Hawks dominated the quarter 36-18.

The fourth quarter came down to Bogut’s defensive presence and Curry’s offensive wizardry. Bogut protected the rim nearly flawlessly, sending back three Hawks shots at the basket within the span of a couple of minutes. Once again, the Warriors were able to turn their defense into offense. After going back and forth early on in the quarter, Golden State managed to pull away, extending the lead to double-digits. They won the fourth 26-17.

Curry scored 36 points, dished out 8 assists, and grabbed 6 rebounds. Bogut was a team-high +20, blocking 5 shots and pulling down 11 rebounds. Atlanta center Al Horford scored a team-high 23 points.

Tale of the Tape

Warriors

• Field-goal percentage: 43.8% (39-89)
• Three-point percentage: 31.1% (14-45)
• Rebounds: 43
• Assists: 30
• Turnovers: 13

Hawks

• Field-goal percentage: 41.9% (36-86)
• Three-point percentage: 29.4% (10-34)
• Rebounds: 47
• Assists: 23
• Turnovers: 17

Good to Know

What’s on Tap

The Warriors will fly to Miami to take on the Heat.