The Warriors entered the fourth quarter down 18 with a defense that couldn’t decipher Trae Young’s riddles.
Then Klay Thompson drilled three 3s, Gary Payton II muscled his way for two buckets inside and Kevon Looney added a dunk. The Warriors blitzed the Hawks for a 15-2 run to open the final frame and a game threatening to become a blowout turned into a five-point nailbiter.
Then Kevin Huerter and Trae Young nailed dagger 3s late to finally sink the Warriors (48-26).
Jordan Poole continued his magnificent March by notching his 12th straight 20-plus game and also adding a career-high 10 assists. But Young (33 points, 15 assists) carved up Golden State and closed them out in a 121-110 Atlanta win.
Here are three takeaways from Golden State’s fourth loss in five games — all without Stephen Curry.
No “D” in Hawks or Warriors
Atlanta’s 113.7 defensive rating is the worst of any of the 20 playoff teams, but Golden State appeared to sink to its level on Friday.
For the Hawks, defensive issues are baked in. Teams can attack Trae Young, Danilo Gallinari and Kevin Huerter on the perimeter. Centers Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu are left to clean up mess after mess in the paint.
The Warriors did just that, running Young and Huerter through screens — both on the ball and in split-action — and taking Gallinari off the dribble in switches. Seemingly every Warriors miss in the first half came on an open look.
Golden State, though, throws out several plus-defenders — in addition to Draymond Green, who is a sorcerer — on the court at all times. Still, the Hawks picked them apart and shot 60% from the field in the first half.
Any offense engineered by Trae Young is a tough cover, but the Warriors had no answer. They resorted to a zone briefly, but that too didn’t work. Stops were nonexistent in a first half that ended 69-67, and they didn’t arrive in bulk.
The Hawks are built to win 121-to-110 games. Without Stephen Curry, the Warriors need to win with defense.
Headband Klay returns with a vengeance
Against the Spurs last Sunday, a frustrated Klay Thompson launched his white headband into the Chase Center stands. He came back in Atlanta Friday donning a black one. And with it, Thompson turned in one of his most complete and efficient games of the season.
Thompson hit his first three 3-pointers and made six of eight treys in the first half. He got it done off the dribble, off the catch, after offensive rebounds, driving kickouts and taking advantage of mismatches.
He was scorching hot and ignited GSW’s comeback effort in the fourth quarter with three more tough 3s.
Thompson finished with 36 points on 14-for-26 shooting. He hit a season-high nine 3s on 16 tries. He added seven boards and three dimes to boot.
And the headband stayed on.
The real news in the frontcourt
In a Friday News Dump, the Warriors announced right before Steve Kerr’s pregame press conference that James Wiseman would be sidelined for the remainder of the season, including playoffs.
While significant, that shelving was a foregone conclusion after Wiseman was reportedly out “indefinitely” after he experienced knee swelling following three G-League games.
Something else changed with Golden State’s front court on Friday, though. And it will truly matter for their championship aspirations.
For the first time all season, the Warriors removed center Kevon Looney from the starting lineup. He can still achieve his goal of playing all 82, only he’ll have to do it coming off the bench.
In Looney’s place, the Warriors went with Jonathan Kuminga at power forward. There’s no guarantee the rookie will be a full-time starter going forward, especially once Curry returns, but Kuminga has undoubtedly earned a role in the playoff rotation. Since the All-Star Break, Kuminga is averaging 14 points and five rebounds per game on 52.6% shooting.
What the move really does is stagger Looney and Draymond Green’s minutes.
Kerr said that he feels “really good” about GSW’s roster, and specifically about the depth at center. Having Looney or Green on the floor at all times should maximize that.
