The Golden State Warriors have turned their season on its head with five-straight wins despite the absence of Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins. Things were going to be difficult with arguably their best two players on the sidelines, but the reigning champions have displayed their resilience in impressive fashion.
Facing four talented conference rivals over their last four matchups, these games were always going to be crucial amid the packed west. The Warriors responded to the task, playing with an urgency that’s scarcely been seen throughout their largely underwhelming season to date.
The Golden State Warriors proved themselves comeback kings as franchise and NBA records tumbled across their five-game winning streak.
Golden State had to do it the hard way in each of the four games, coming from double-digit deficits to record remarkable comeback wins. After their 108-99 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, the franchise revealed it was the first time since 1997-98 that they’d won four straight games after trailing by 10+ points in each.
It hasn’t just been the ability to cut down significant leads, but also the capacity to fly by their stunned opponents and create their own insurmountable margin. In wins over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday and the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, Golden State became the first team in the shot clock era to overturn a double-digit deficit and still win by 15+ points.
The Warriors trailed by 23 during the second-quarter against the Trail Blazers before cutting it to 17 in the minutes leading up to half-time. They then proceeded to outscore Portland 75-40 in a ridiculous second-half onslaught. A similar script followed against the Clippers — they held a 12-point lead early in the third-quarter, only for Golden State to crush them 66-30 over the remainder of the game.
In two other matchups during the homestand, the Warriors came back from a 12-point deficit early in the fourth-quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves, while they trailed by 17 in the first-quarter against the Pelicans.
Although overturning double-digit deficits isn’t necessarily the most sustainable way to win, there’s no doubt it’s added to the momentum Golden State have built over the five-straight victories. It brings the fanatical Chase Center crowd into the game, and their thrilling second-half explosions have acted as some of the most thrilling basketball we’ve seen from the Warriors this season.