In loss to Celtics, Warriors’ small-ball lineup reveals strengths and weaknesses

Warriors’ small lineup shows strengths, weaknesses in loss Original version: NBC Sports Bayarea

The Warriors’ return to TD Garden on Thursday night was markedly different from the NBA Finals. However, the start of the game was the same.

Minimum of for Warriors Center Kevon Looney.

Many were surprised when Steve Kerr announced the Warriors’ starting line-up without Looney. Looney played in his 156th consecutive regular season game. The results were mixed Warriors’ 121-118 overtime loss to the Boston CelticsThere are clear hopes and highs, but also a lot of lows. Kerr is likely to stick with his smaller starting lineup, when all the players are available.

Kerr told reporters in Boston that he believed he would continue doing it after the loss. We’ll see how it turns out.

It was a disappointing season for the Celtics, who finished this season at a league-best 34-12.

Jordan PooleLooney was replaced by… and he ignited the Warriors’ offense right from the beginning. He scored nine points in quarter one and ended the night scoring 24. He was 10-for-25 from field and 2-for-8 at the 3-point line. Poole needs to play defense if he is to be considered for the starting line-up.

In Boston, Poole did it by grabbing six rebounds as well as three steals. Poole was on both ends of court, although he was part a major defensive break. Jaylen Brown With 18 seconds left in regulation, he hit a game-tying 3 pointer.

Kerr stated that it was a difficult matchup against the team. “They have such big wings, so to be able to start that smaller group Jordan had to keep up. I thought his defense was superb.”

Poole is now a veteran of 23 games this season, and has been on the bench for 22. Poole’s average point score as a starter is 26.7, compared with 15.5 from the bench. This season, he has scored at least 20 points 27 times.

Only six of them were the Warriors’ Sixth Man.

Poole stated that it gave the Warriors more energy to be able “to space the floor and get out of transition,” Poole told reporters inside the Warriors’ locker room. “I feel that we’re quite dangerous in this. It’ll be a great layer if we can protect and rebound when we’re still small. “I think everyone knows that the unit is quite dangerous together.”

Steph Curry Not only was Curry the Warriors’ top scorer with 29 points but he was also 9-for-25 on the field and 6-for-18 when trying to make 3-pointers. Curry was 1-for-7 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter and missed all five of his 3-pointers. Klay Thompson He got going quickly, scoring 20 of his 24 points within the first quarter. He scored four points in the first quarter and did not attempt another shot during the four minutes overtime.

Andrew Wiggins Draymond Green constituted the Warriors’ frontcourt against their opponent, the Celtics. Boston was the first to go Al Horford Robert Williams, both at 6′ 9″, and Robert Williams. Wiggins was limited to just five points during the first half, but he showed a lot of promise in the second quarter and scored 10 of his twenty points. He had four blocks, which was another reason Wiggins became a Celtics star. Jayson Tatum The field shot 33.3 percent and 3-pointers 30.8 percent.

Draymond green filled in the stat sheet before a crowd of rowdy Bostonians. In his return to the arena, he was used to hearing words that shouldn’t be said. The Warriors’ do it all point-center, was just one assist away from a triple-double. He scored 11 points, 13 boards and nine assists.

Curry, Poole Thompson Thompson, Wiggins and Green, were all minus-1 overall in plus/minus. They were together for 21 minutes and were outscored by 59 to 58.

In 16 minutes, the starting five Celtics were a minus-7.

Kerr stated that he had made the decision to change his mind and wanted to “just open up the floor”, Kerr explained. “Maybe we can spark some interest. We’re at.500. Let’s try something new. This was also the first time we had all these guys in good health in quite a while.

“It’s an explosive lineup. You have to open the floor, especially against Boston. They have a strong front line and big wings. We felt that we could probably get a little boost.

Looney, the odd-man out, is another option.

Looney did not start any of Looney’s final three games against Celtics in the Finals. Looney averaged 7.8 rebound off the bench for the Warriors, while also averaging a plus-11. Looney showed once more that he’s the ultimate pro on Thursday night.

Looney started the game from the bench, grabbing 12 rebounds and making his one shot attempt. Looney’s plus-3 was second only to Curry. Kerr used eight-man rotations, and Looney, just like ever, was steady in a new role.

Kerr said that Loon was an excellent player off the bench.

Curry in the locker-room said, “It’s a credit Loon being a continuous professional and understanding he’s so important to our doing.” “There have been times when we switched things up, and he’s gone back to the bench and been productive, even in the playoffs last season where we made that move. He came back in the Memphis series as a real helper.

“He’s always available.”

RELATED: Kerr explains Dubs’ defensive breakdown on Brown 3-pointer

The Warriors opted for speed and shooting. They had a 15 point advantage on 3-pointers. Their 3-pointers shot 34.6 per cent and their long-range shots were responsible for half of their success. The Celtics ended with 16 more rebound than the Warriors, 22 extra points in the paint, and eight more second-chance point. 29 rebounds were grabbed by Warriors starters. Celtics starters had 54.

Friday is the second night in a back-toback for the Warriors. They’re playing against a Cleveland Cavaliers A team featuring two very large men who are both excellent Evan Mobley Jarrett Allen. Thompson is likely to be sitting as well. This could mean Kerr will also be sitting. Donte DiVincenzo Looney can be inserted back in or the starting lineup is kept small.

Looney and Green are both starting, so the Warriors often fall behind in terms of spacing and scorers. Poole provides a boost offensively and impressed against a team that is a contender defensively. Looney demonstrated how efficient he is in reserve, slowing the pace, fighting for everything, and making the Warriors second unit a changeup to the opposition.

The Warriors won Thursday despite going small. Kerr’s right, though. The 22-23 Warriors are in dire need of a spark. If all goes well, the change could cause a serious scare for the league. It will give them four players capable of scoring at least 20 points every night, sharing the court with Draymond’s basketball knowledge.