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Livingston shines in Curry’s absence as Warriors roll to seventh straight win

By

Kerry Crowley

/

OAKLAND–The Golden State Warriors have a “luxury,” on thier hands and on Monday night at Oracle Arena, head coach Steve Kerr decided to show the rest of the league just how much of an advantage that luxury provides.

In the final game of the team’s four-game homestand, Golden State was without star point guard Steph Curry. It didn’t matter.

Though the Orlando Magic kept Monday’s contest close throughout the first half, the Warriors used another third quarter run to capture a 110-100 victory and extend their win streak to seven games. The luxury that Kerr has at his disposal was on display against Orlando, as backup point guard Shaun Livingston turned in an outstanding effort to offset Curry’s absence.

Before Monday’s game, Kerr said that Livingston gives the Warriors an additional starter-caliber player off the bench, and when he was forced into action due to a right thigh contusion for Curry, the veteran delivered his most complete outing of the season.

Livingston was all over the floor in the first half, and at various points, the Magic had as much trouble keeping track of him as most teams do of the Warriors’ two-time MVP when Curry is on the court.

Without Curry, shots that seemingly come easily within the flow of the Warriors’ offense were more difficult to find, and rather unsurprisingly, Golden State relied on several backdoor cuts and a handful of Kevin Durant isolation plays to pace the team in the first half.

Nevertheless, as the game progressed, Golden State took advantage of a San Antonio Spurs-esque approach, and Livingston was one of the beneficiaries as he soared in for a two-handed slam down a wide open lane to tie the game late in the first half.

After heading to the locker rooms tied at 56-56, the teams returned to the floor in the third quarter and Golden State again used its excellent conditioning to create wide open opportunities and generate meaningful separation from Orlando.

A pair of Draymond Green baskets helped the Warriors to a 10-2 run to start the second half, and by the midpoint of the quarter, a wide open Klay Thompson three-pointer gave Golden State a 13-point advantage. Because Curry sat out on Monday, Thompson was the Warriors’ primary three-point shooting threat, and although Golden State didn’t bury many triples against the Magic, Thompson’s three buckets from distance led his team.

With Livingston in the starting lineup and the team’s rotation adjusted, the latter half of the third quarter allowed Golden State’s reserves to take advantage of extended playing time, and a crew led by Andre Iguodala, Omri Casspi and Nick Young helped the Warriors maintain the advantage they opened up early in the quarter.

Iguodala’s ball-handling was instrumental in the Warriors’ offensive success Monday, and his third quarter drive on Magic guard Elfrid Payton served as one of Golden State’s best offensive highlights.

Though the Warriors held a commanding lead after three quarters, the fourth quarter didn’t lack all drama. Reserve center David West kept Golden State’s intensity up on the defensive side of the floor, and former Warriors’ big man Marreese Speights took issue to that after West blocked a Speights’ putback attempt. After West corralled a rebound, he and Speights exchanged words and had to be separated by officials.

Ultimately, even without Curry to open up the Warriors’ offense, Golden State had all the star power it needed to collect another blowout victory. Midway through the fourth quarter, Durant put an exclamation point on the homestand with a drive and Euro step from the right wing as he soared above the Orlando defense for an emphatic slam.

The Warriors return to action on Thursday night in Boston as they take on the Celtics, the top team in the Eastern Conference.

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