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The Warriors beat the Charlotte Hornets 121-110 Monday in North Carolina. Klay Thompson led the way for the Warriors with 26 points.
Here are my three big takeaways from the contest:
A Boogie breakthrough?
I don’t think we’re there yet.
But we could be getting close.
The Hornets aren’t a good team, but they’re no slouches, either — they’re an appropriate control for this grand experiment, and Cousins showed marked improvement over his painful-to-watch post-All-Star Game performances Thursday and Saturday.
One could argue that Monday’s win was Cousins’ best offensive performance of his Warriors’ career. It’s up there with his domination of Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis on Jan. 28 and his debut performance against the Clippers on Jan. 18.
Cousins had 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting with 11 rebounds Monday, but it was his ability to beat defenders off the dribble, finish at the rim (most of the time), and utilize a more robust arsenal of low-post moves that impressed.
Defensively? Well, he’s far from impressing on that side of the court — lest anyone forget that half the game is played in that direction.
Hornets center Cody Zeller went 13-of-13 from the floor (don’t believe the box-score lies) and had a career-high 28 points Monday, and a good deal of that lies at the feet of Cousins.
Yes, Cousins had arguably his best offensive game as a Warrior and I’d argue that he was a net-zero player Monday.
Cousins has always been an offense-first player, so it should come as no surprise that his offense is coming around before his defense. And yes, the improved mobility on the offensive end should provide some tangible hope to Warriors fans (and teammates and coaches) that Cousins is poised to break through a conditioning wall, bringing him closer to the proverbial 100 percent.
But will the defense — or whatever semblance of defense Cousins can provide — even show up? The hints of competence at that end have been few and far between.
Again, Monday was encouraging, but only because we’re extrapolating offensive progress and because his defensive performance in Saturday’s loss to the Rockets was so discouraging.
This is a huge week for Cousins and the Warriors. The NBA’s effective deadline for adding buyout players is Friday, March 1. And while It remains to be seen if there will be any players of worth to fill the Warriors’ 15th (and currently vacant) roster spot, Cousins’ performances Wednesday and Thursday can go a long way to assuaging any fears the Warriors’ coaching staff and front office might have about his ability to play come the postseason.
Monday was a step in the right direction, but Cousins needs to maintain that positive momentum against the Heat Wednesday.
If the last time the two teams played is any indication, Cousins is going to have a bullseye on him in Miami.
Now that would be a great time for a breakthrough.
Draymond Green’s subtle reminders of brilliance
Green went 6-for-8 from the field Monday — one of his best shooting performances of the season — but it was his defense that stole the show in Charlotte.
What’s new?
There was one play in particular that deserves further examination, because it’s a tremendous case study in Green’s defensive genius.
In a 10-point game in the third quarter, Hornets All-Star point guard Kemba Walker — one of the best one-on-one ball handlers in the game — squared up Green on the perimeter.
Most big men would have become barbecue chicken in such a situation — Walker has cooked up for than his fair share of poultry over the years.
But, of course, Green is no ordinary big man.
I’m wracking my brain, but I can’t think of a single other player in the NBA who can bang in the post all game and then come out and defend Walker the way Green did, blocking the guard’s shot.
Also, I think it’s fair to say that Green’s ankle — which he supposedly injured Saturday against the Rockets — is a-ok.
The downside of another strong performance from Green — who had three blocks, a steal, and was on triple-double watch all game: Turnovers. Green had six on Monday to go with his 10 assists.
Apparently, that sloppiness was contagious.
The Warriors, as a team, turned the ball over 15 times against the Hornets. Not great, but certainly not their worst performance of the year. But Monday seemed like a particularly unkempt game for the Dubs because so many of those turnovers were live-ball. Charlotte had 20 points off turnovers.
Those live-ball turnovers are a pet peeve of Kerr and a sign that, despite a solid effort Monday, the Warriors aren’t totally locked in post-All-Star. Well, save for one guy:
KD is tapping into his playoff viciousness
While Stephen Curry encouraged his teammates to play with joy Monday, Kevin Durant has decided to go the other way — he’s seemingly playing with anger.
You can’t say it’s not working for him and the Warriors, though.
I’ve seen Durant in two playoffs and during November and December of last season, so I won’t go as far to say that he’s playing his best basketball in blue and gold, but damned if this current run of form isn’t approaching that stratosphere.
He’s a man possessed right now. He’s ruthless. He’s out to embarrass dudes.
He’s doing just that. .
If Durant is, indeed, leaving this summer — and, let’s be honest, all the evidence points that way (we’ll see if those breadcrumbs mean anything soon enough) — he’s going out with a prolonged bang. (Presuming he keeps this up.)
I’m not going to say anything about why Durant seems to be venting frustration on the rim — lest someone think I’m throwing grenades at what is an objectively positive thing. All I’ll say is that Durant is locked in on both ends of the court — an important distinction, to be sure — and when that’s the case, the Warriors have to go out of their way to lose.