OAKLAND – The Warriors have learned through countless games that they have enough depth to absorb a one-game absence to one of their star players. The Warriors also learned in their 110-95 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday that they can also manage just fine when their other star players have off nights.
Warriors forward Kevin Durant missed his third game in the past four contests because of a sprained left ankle. Warriors guard Stephen Curry had 27 points, despite shooting 9-of-25 from the field and 3-of-13 from 3-point range. And Warriors forward Draymond Green had only six points, while playing with foul trouble (five).
Such developments would devastate most NBA teams. The Warriors (15-5) are not most NBA teams, though.
“Things happen with fouls and injuries. The beauty of this team is that we’re so deep,” Warriors center Zaza Pachulia said. “Everybody can play and come on the court and contribute.
No other NBA teams have another clutch shooter in Klay Thompson, who had a team-leading 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting and 4-of-8 from 3-point range. He also posted 14 points in the second quarter, while making all four of his 3-point attempts to ensure the Warriors a 53-53 tie at halftime.
“When we needed a big shot, he was there for us,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Klay’s overall game has been rock solid all year.”
No other NBA team has a dependable role player in Andre Iguodala, who offered 14 points and plenty of other things not reflected in a box score. He logged 31 minutes after otherwise averaging 25.2 minutes this season and even sitting out in three games for rest purposes. And Iguodala adjusted despite weird circumstances surrounding Saturday’s game.
The Warriors listed the 33-year-old Iguodala on Saturday morning as probable because of a sprained left knee, an injury that stemmed more from the grind of the NBA season and less with a specific game. Iguodala woke up forgetting he was in Oakland and arrived only an hour before tipoff amid confusion with the Warriors’ recent week-long trip out East.
“I can play. It’s easy to play with pain,” Iguodala said. “I can walk through the pain. I’ve been playing for so long. I know what the team needs.”
No other team has a cast of role players that can fill different needs, including Pachulia (defense), the steady presence of Shaun Livingston and David West and the increasingly growing Kevon Looney. They do not have a versatile player such as Green, who can overcome shooting and foul trouble with eight assists and seven rebounds. They do not have a defensive unit that can hold New Orleans (11-9) to a 41 percent mark from the field, while forcing 17 turnovers.
And lastly, they do not have a player in Curry, who can still lead the team in scoring despite his poor shooting numbers.
“It takes a special kind of confidence to do what Steph did tonight,” Kerr said before reflecting on his own NBA career. “I would’ve quit after four shots. That’s not my night. But guys like Steph, he’s a hell of a player and find a way to turn a bad night into a good night.”
Unlike on Friday night when the Warriors posted a season-high 143 points against Chicago, the Warriors opened Saturday’s game against New Orleans without the prolific play that makes the NBA envy them. The Warriors trailed 31-17 after the first quarter after shooting 7 of 27 from the field (25.9) and 1-of-11 from 3-point range. Curry missed his first eight shots, including five 3-pointers.
“Nothing before the shot I’m about to take matters,” Curry said. “You have to block it out as best as you can and having that sense of amnesia almost and rely on the repetitions and work you put into it.”
The Warriors held together from then on, offering enough to get by even as injuries and shooting woes diminished their star power.
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The Warriors missed Durant’s presence for obvious reasons, though he is expected to return for Monday’s game against Sacramento. But the Warriors fielded a comfortable replacement in Omri Casspi, who had nine points on 4-of-8 shooting in 25 minutes in what marked his third start in four games this week during Durant’s absence.
“Omri impacts every player on the floor with his cutting and his intelligence,” Kerr said. “He makes the game easier on everybody. I think he really helps Steph and Klay because he’s always in the right spot.
Casspi, who signed with the Warriors last summer on a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum, chalked up his seamless transition as a starter into two areas.
Casspi credited Kerr’s offense.
“It’s really hard if you play in a system that doesn’t complement your game,” Casspi said. “When you play in a system that has so much more moving, cutting and playing without the ball, it makes me my game a lot more comfortable.”
Casspi also credited his perspective entering his eighth NBA season.
“I molded myself as a guy that complements others,” Casspi said. “You won’t see me take a lot of bad shots.”
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