Long-range shots help bury Bucks
Golden State hoists season-high 46 three-point tries
MILWAUKEE — To become the class of the NBA, the Warriors staked their offensive philosophy on rudimentary arithmetic: Three-pointers are worth more than two-pointers.
But as the rest of the league tries to follow its blueprint, Golden State is actually hoisting fewer threes than most of its peers. In their 105-95 victory Friday night over the Bucks at Fiserv Forum, the Warriors showed why they revolutionized the art of the deep ball, chucking up a seasonhigh 46 three-point tries — and making 19 of them — to close their five-city trip with a three-game winning streak.
It was a feel-good sight for Golden State head coach Steve Kerr, who has spent much of the past week lamenting his team’s paltry number of three-point attempts. The Warriors entered Friday having tried 116 fewer three-pointers than their opponents.
A couple of years ago, Golden State’s 29.5 three-point tries per game would have been among the league’s best. Now, with teams trying to win on the strength of their long-range exploits, that’s only good
enough for 19th.
“It was just, that’s what was there,” Kerr said of Friday’s three-point outburst. “When (the Bucks) beat us at Oracle a few weeks ago, they basically packed the paint and dared Andre (Iguodala), Jonas ( Jerebko) and whoever else to make shots. Those guys were ready and knocked them down.”
In a crucial six-minute stretch that spanned the third and fourth quarters, Golden State shot 6-for-9 from beyond the arc to pull away from the Bucks. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson finished 4-for-9 from three-point range on a night the Warriors made almost eight more threes than their season average.
While three-pointers fueled Golden State, they were the ruin of a Milwaukee team trying to catch Toronto for the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings. The Bucks were a combined 7-for-39 (17.9 percent) from beyond the arc.
Milwaukee forward Giannis Antetotkounmpo, hardly a long-range marksman, tried to will his team to victory with repeated forays to the rim. Though he made eight of his 11 shots from inside the arc, he was called for three charges — all with Jerebko defending him.
“I expected us to take some charges,” Iguodala said, “but I wasn’t expecting that many.”
The Warriors took the lead for good late in the third quarter, when Curry’s three-pointer put them up 75-74 and halted a 12-2 run by the Bucks. It didn’t hurt that, after committing 13 first-half turnovers, Golden State only had five in the second.
In 28 minutes, Iguodala scored a season-high 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting to go with eight rebounds. Curry (20 points), Thompson (20 points) and Jerebko (12) also helped the Warriors overcome an offshooting night from Kevin Durant. In 37 minutes, he posted almost as many turnovers (seven) as points (11).
“It wasn’t a pretty game,” Jerebko said. “We were scrapping out there, diving for loose balls and switching on defense. We were doing a good job of just making it difficult on Giannis.”
After a drama-filled first six or so weeks of the season, Golden State appears to be finding its footing. It followed up backto-back losses with wins in Atlanta, Cleveland and Milwaukee. Its defense, which has lagged behind expectations, is beginning to tighten up.
And now, three-pointers — supposedly one of the Warriors’ biggest assets — are becoming a factor again. It also only helps that Draymond Green, who has missed the past 11 games because of a sprained right toe, could be back for Monday’s game against Minnesota. Center DeMarcus Cousins (torn left Achilles tendon) should return within the month.
Asked whether Golden State was building momentum, Thompson said, “It’s building. It’s building like a … I don’t know, it’s building really well.”