Game Report: Warriors produce first half horror story
It was simply a remarkable first half, arguably the worst in Golden State Warriors‘ history. As Bobby Portis poured in another Milwaukee triple to end the half, the Warriors trudged off with a 39-point deficit, their biggest in nearly sixty years.
Even in recent losses, Golden State’s defense had kept them competitive and in matches till late in the game. Yet, in a blockbuster matchup against the reigning NBA champions, the Warriors brought a sluggish defense to rival that of its current offensive woes.
The Golden State Warriors were pulverized by the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, falling to a 118-99 loss despite an improved second-half performance.
The Warriors gave up 77 first-half points, easily the most conceded for the season, while also failing to score 40 again themselves. To their credit, they did show some fight in the second half, even if it was aided by the Bucks taking their foot slightly off the pedal.
But although the halftime margin was cut substantially, Golden State never threatened a masterful Bucks’ performance led by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 30-point triple-double.
It was hard to find any positives in a forgettable night for the Warriors. They again shot the ball extremely poorly, hitting 33.3% from three and a simply dismal 34.7% from the field. On the other end, the Bucks scored with ease as they went 51.2% from the floor and 43.9% from deep.
Klay Thompson got through another 20 minutes of game time, while Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins got a little rest due to the blowout. Simultaneously, it provided greater opportunity for exciting rookie Jonathan Kuminga, who again showed plenty of promise with 15 points and seven rebounds despite inefficiency.
To only compound Warrior issues and the current absence of Draymond Green, Gary Payton II saw just under five minutes after being sidelined with a back issue.
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The Warriors are now 0-2 on their four-game road trip and have lost four of their last five games. Things don’t get any easier as they travel to Chicago to play the Bulls on the second night of a back-to-back.