Offense fizzles in shaky fourth quarter
Curry falters down stretch as Indiana comes on strong late
As NBA teams search for ways to quell Warriors guard Stephen Curry’s greatness, they’re becoming increasingly reliant on a zone defense synonymous with middle school and high school basketball — not the sport’s highest level.
Two nights after Curry endured the worst shooting game of his career as he struggled with such gimmicky zones as the Raptors’ boxand1, the Pacers decided to see whether that defense could be effective again. What Indiana didn’t anticipate, however, was that a player mired in the league’s worst shooting slump finally would capitalize on open looks.
As Curry spent much of the night vexed by the defense Toronto made famous — in NBA circles, at least — when it used the boxand1 against him in the 2019 Finals, Kelly Oubre Jr. offered a worthy offensive complement for stretches as the Warriors fell 10495 to the Pacers at Chase Center. After shooting 41for122 from the field ( 7for51 from 3point range) through his first 10 games with Golden State, Oubre finished Tuesday night with 17 points on 6for11 shooting ( 3for7 from 3point range).
The problems for Golden State surfaced in the fourth quarter, when the Warriors were outscored 3120. With Curry not much of a factor, his teammates failed to hit shots. It didn’t help that a defense that through three quarters had given the Pacers fits with quick switches off screens and sound decisions,
suddenly slipped into such bad habits as ballwatching and lazy closeouts.
After two weeks defined by progress and heightening expectations, the Warriors were left grappling with a sobering truth: They still must play their best to beat the league’s better teams. With Eric Paschall — a revelation as a smallball center — out because of the NBA’s coronavirus health and safety protocols, Golden State had little answer for Indiana’s size and skill inside, getting outscored 5634 in the paint.
But for a team still learning to play with one another, it’s important to find positives even in defeat. And Oubre offered reasons for optimism.
The performance hardly qualified as an outburst, but it was enough to start hushing his critics. In recent weeks, as Oubre missed an average of 4.4 3point tries per game despite defenses sagging off of him, he heard plenty of chatter that the Warriors should demote him to a bench role or consider trading him.
But in pairing tenacious defense with a handful of swished jumpers Tuesday, he reminded the naysayers that there were reasons Golden State acquired him in November even though his addition spiked the team’s luxury tax by nearly $ 70 million. As Oubre drained a corner 3pointer late in the second quarter, the man he was brought in to help replace — Klay Thompson — smiled as he sat along the baseline.
After spending the first three weeks of the season rehabbing his torn right Achilles tendon in Orange County, Thompson was back at Chase Center to utilize the Warriors’ facilities, get to know his new teammates and finally watch a game in person.
What he saw was a young group that, though not as talented as the dynastic ones Thompson helped to five Finals, plays with a familiar uptempo style.
Midway through the second quarter, the Warriors rode a 165 run to a ninepoint lead over an Indiana team without Victor Oladipo ( right knee injury). Even as Curry labored against Indiana’s boxand1 zone, his lesserknown teammates put hands on shooters, spread the floor and knocked down open shots.
That is, until the fourth quarter arrived and Golden State looked overwhelmed. It was the type of 12minute collapse that head coach Steve Kerr will review with his players Wednesday in hopes of making one thing certain: This isn’t a team that can afford to deviate from the blueprint with the game on the line.