Veteran point-guards ensure Golden State Warriors avoid disaster in Detroit

With just over eight minutes left at Little Caesars Arena, the Golden State Warriors were on the precipice of undoing a lot of their good work to start the season. But against the incredibly young (and undermanned) Detroit Pistons, experience eventually won the day.

The franchise’s two oldest players, Chris Paul and Stephen Curry, ensured the Warriors would avoid disaster with a 27-12 run to close what was a 120-109 victory. The veteran point-guard pair made all the right plays, including down the stretch where the margin remained just four with less than 90 seconds left.

A combined 51 points from Stephen Curry and Chris Paul has pushed the Golden State Warriors past the Detroit Pistons and to a 6-2 record.

The Pistons started the game by making eight of their first 10 shots, but Curry was hot himself with a scorching four threes and 16 points in the first period. A 14-0 run gave Golden State all the momentum, but it was short-lived as the bench unit again failed to find efficient offense once the two-time MVP went to the bench.

Curry had 20 of the Warriors 56 points in the first-half, with the lead remaining eight in what was an average second-quarter from both teams. That advantage was quickly erased in the third though as the Pistons sniffed a huge upset win.

Detroit put in 34 points in the third-quarter, but a Dario Saric and-one in the final second gave Golden State back the lead at 83-82. The Pistons offense continued rolling in the fourth, pushing their lead briefly to five in worrying moments for the visitors.

Yet as if on cue, Curry returned and the Warriors went on an immediate 10-0 run to regain the momentum. The 35-year-old cooled off after the blistering opening period, but he still came up with the big shots which included a tightly contested deep two over the outstretched Isiah Stewart.

Paul finished off the plucky Pistons with back-to-back late plays — first he hit a patented baseline mid-range jumper to extend the lead to six, before drawing a foul on another post-up on the ensuing possession.

The 38-year-old finished with a season-high 17 points on 6-9 shooting in less than 22 minutes, while also adding five rebounds and six assists (zero turnovers again…). Curry had 34 points and four assists on 12-26 shooting, including 7-17 from three-point range.

Klay Thompson had 17 points on an efficient 50% shooting, while Saric had 12 points and six rebounds off the bench. Golden State had 17 offensive rebounds to Detroit’s seven, proving crucial as the visitors took 17 more field-goal attempts on the night.

It was hardly one to put in the memory bank, but the Warriors came and got what they wanted — a win. They’ll now head to Denver ahead of a huge challenge against the reigning champion Nuggets on Wednesday.