Warriors down Rockets to end long road drought
HOUSTON >> Finally. The Warriors snapped an 11game road losing skid Monday night, beating the Houston Rockets 121-108.
Stephen Curry cheered while riding a stationary bike as the Warriors built their fourth-quarter lead up to 15 with under six minutes left. It didn't matter that his teammates couldn't hear him; he was ecstatic that finally Golden State was on track for a rare road win.
All Golden State needed to do was hold on. And while this team has been known to blow double-figure leads, the Warriors held on to win their first road game since January.
Curry scored 30 points and Klay Thompson added 29 to hold off the Rockets (18-54). Jonathan Kuminga built off his strong showing in Memphis with another efficient night, going 7-for-9 from the field to lead the bench players with 17 points.
“Been a long time ... We needed it obviously,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I actually felt like we played decently in the first three games of this trip.
“Ironically, I thought this was the worst of the four games we played on this trip but obviously we were playing different caliber team.”
The start certainly wasn't encouraging -- for either team.
Both teams had a sloppy first half, combining for 25 turnovers. Curry got off to a slow start, going scoreless in the first quarter. But the Warriors still managed to go up 26-21 at the end of one for their first lead on the road after the opening 12 minutes since Feb. 2.
Curry then found his groove in the second, scoring 15 points and the Warriors were up by five at the break.
A scary collision between Curry and Jordan Poole in the third had Warriors fans holding their breath. Poole fell and hit the back of his head on Curry's right leg, causing Curry to hop away before ultimately walking it off.
He was examined by the team's trainer on the bench before returning to the game, and scoring 11 points in the fourth.
The Rockets remained within striking distance until a fourth-quarter surge by the Warriors pushed them ahead, and Golden State carried that momentum to the finish line.
Poole, who had a teamhigh eight assists, found a soaring Kuminga for a dunk to cap off a 12-2 run by the visitors, putting Golden State ahead 102-89. The Rockets called a timeout, but there was no stopping the Warriors.
Finally, the Warriors figured out how to win on the road. They're now 8-29 on the road and are sixth in the Western Conference standings -- sitting a 1/2 game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks.
That makes Wednesday's matchup between the Warriors and Mavericks in Dallas that much more interesting. The game has playoff implications with the winner walking away with the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Kuminga feeling empowered by vets
Kuminga doesn't need any help in the confidence department, but the 20-year-old still finds comfort in knowing he has his teammates in his corner.
Whether it be Andre Iguodala pulling him aside during timeouts to point out something he saw or Draymond Green patting Kuminga on the back when he makes a mistake, the 20-year-old feels empowered by the veterans to play freely and aggressively.
“Just knowing that not just the coaches but your teammates got your back, I think that's super important,” Kuminga said Monday after shootaround. The veterans “hype you up if you do something wrong and keep telling you, `Don't worry about it, just next play.' And that's super important to have around.”
Their support has helped Kuminga become a bright spot in what has otherwise been an underwhelming season for Golden State.
Kuminga has established his spot in the Warriors' rotation with his defense, but the scoring is also starting to come. He had one of his best games of his young career on Saturday against the Grizzlies -- scoring a team-high 24 points on 8 of 16 shooting, including 4 of 7 from deep. He also tallied eight rebounds, three assists, a steal and block in the 131-110.
Kuminga is at his best when he's assertive and locked in on the defensive end.
“A lot of people don't get to do what I can do on the floor and it's not like I'm perfect at doing what I do but just having a team trust you, I take pride in that,” Kuminga said of his defense. “Going out there every single day and playing as hard as I can, defending against the best players.”
Rookie assignment
Patrick Baldwin Jr. is being sent back to the G League, the team announced.
Baldwin appeared in 11 of the Warriors' last 15 games, averaging 3.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while shooting 34.2% overall and 28.6% from 3.