Golden State Warriors: Grading the road trip
How did the Golden State Warriors do on a game-by-game basis on their latest road trip that saw them go 3-1?
The Golden State Warriors have found strength with their team on the road this season. At the beginning of the year, it was the road where they found themselves and got off to a great start. Having one of the best road records in the NBA is important to Golden State and it shows they can handle adversity in any setting.
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On their latest road trip, the Warriors went 3-1 and could have possibly went 4-0 if not for a hot shooting night from Dion Waiters. Each game had different feels to them and Golden State picked up 3 more wins and did what good teams do on the road, and that’s win a majority of their games. Let’s grade each win.
At Rockets: 125 – 108 W
Coming into this game, the Warriors had lost to the Houston Rockets at home earlier in this season. Facing one of the best teams on the road was not much of a challenge for Kevin Durant and Golden State. The Rockets never stood a chance in this one and the Warriors flexed their muscles.
Grade: A+
At Magic: 118 – 98 W
This game provided yet another unique challenge to Golden State. The game against the Orlando Magic started at noon on Sunday, which is like 9:00 a.m. for the team in pacific time. They started the first half like they were still asleep and took time to get going. In the third quarter, they woke up and scored 42 points to put this away. They had 19 three’s, which is their best total on the season.
Grade: A-
At Heat: 105 – 102 L
Playing the next night after the Orlando game and their third in four nights, Golden State came out with tired legs again. Instead of pushing through in the third quarter, the Warriors allowed the Miami Heat to build a double-digit lead in the game. Every time they tried to come back, Dion Waiters would crush them with a huge shot. They erased a 10-point deficit late only for Waiters to beat them with almost no time remaining.
Grade: C
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At Hornets: 113 – 103 W
This game almost had the feel of the Heat game. The Warriors and Hornets hung tough with each other until Charlotte got the better of them in the third quarter. Finally, Durant got mad and hit some huge shots late in the fourth and Stephen Curry made a couple of dagger shots beyond the arc to put Charlotte away and guarantee another winning road trip.
Grade: B+
Final Grade
Combining all the grades gives you a grade of B+ for the road trip. Had the Warriors won all four, it would definitely be an A-grade for the trip. Still, this was another good road trip that kept Golden State out in front of the NBA in the standings.