WASHINGTON — Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney wasn’t sure the Warriors could’ve won a game the way they did Saturday – in overtime, on the road against an up-and-coming Houston Rockets and without Steph Curry in the lineup.
“The ball didn’t go our away. Sometimes, we didn’t execute. We had mental lapses. We might have a silly foul and the momentum went against us,’ Looney said of the seasons since Golden State last won the title in 2022. ‘We never were able to get it back under control last year, probably the last two years. But (against Houston), things didn’t go our way … but we were still able to keep our composure and go out there in overtime and close it out.”
In their first season without Klay Thompson since drafting him in 2011, the Warriors are 7-1 and on a five-game winning streak, including three victories without Curry – who is now back in the lineup.
Now, the schedule hasn’t been too difficult. Just two of their wins have been against teams with winning records, however, the Warriors beat Boston 118-112 Wednesday on the road and two more road tests are next: at 9-0 Cleveland on Friday and at 7-1 Oklahoma City on Sunday.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was quick to remind four reporters after a team practice Sunday at Georgetown University that Golden State started 5-1 last season and was 9-10 by the end of November.
“Great start,” Kerr said. “Couldn’t ask for anything more, but we have to understand we got off to that same start last year and so it’s a long year and you got to continue to identify areas of need, weakness, anything that you’ve got to brush up on and then continue to hammer home the identity.
“The whole point right now is our identity has to be a scrappy, defensive-minded team and I think we’re much more capable of being that team this year than last year. Last year, it was a different team and this year it is built to be disruptive defensively and feisty, play a lot of people and play with a lot of energy and so I’m happy with what I’ve seen so far, but we’ve got a lot of tough games coming up.”
Minus Thompson but still with Curry and Draymond Green, this is a different iteration of the Warriors. They didn’t lure Paul George in free agency, but they signed De’Anthony Melton and acquired Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson.
The Warriors are producing early in the season with the league’s No. 3 offense (119.3 points per 100 possessions) and No. 2 defense (103.8 points allowed per 100 possessions). That equals the No. 1 net rating at plus-15.5.
Golden State is also:
Tied for third in assists (29.4 per game)
No. 5 in steals (9.3 per game)
Tied for fourth in blocks (6.3 per game)
No. 1 in rebounding (49.5 per game, including No. 3 in offensive rebounds and tied for sixth in offensive rebounds)
No. 2 in fastbreak points allowed (9.0 per game)
It’s done by committee. Through eight games, Kerr has given 13 players at least 12.7 minutes per game and no player is above 28.1 minutes per game. Some of that is due to injuries, but Kerr is going deep into his roster each game.
In the victory against Boston, 11 players recorded at least 13:26 played. Curry had 27 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, four steals and one block, and Hield scored 16 points on 4-for-7 shooting on 3-pointers, lifting his 3-point percentage to 51.7% on 9.1 attempts per game.
The Warriors are not strangers to depth. Their championship teams in 2015, 2017 and 2018 had the “Strength in Numbers” slogan.
“I’ve always liked playing the bench probably because I was a bench guy, and I appreciated that when I got to play,” Kerr said. “But I do think the philosophy that we’ve had here for a long time, it’s very helpful for team chemistry, energy. Strength in numbers, I know it’s a cliche, but it really is something that we’ve leaned into. It helps you get through the 82 (games in a regular season) when a lot of people are playing. It helps you in moments like these where Steph’s out and you’re able to win a few games in a row and so the depth can really play to your advantage if you build it (and) you grow it.
“But at the same time, you kind of want some separation to form, too, so that each game you know who your closing lineup is and kind of who you’re going to.”
Against Boston, the Warriors closed the game with Curry, Green, Looney, Hield and Andrew Wiggins getting a bulk of the final 6:19 when the Warriors outscored the Celtics 30-17.
The Warriors were 46-36 last season, which was only good enough for 10th place in the West, and they lost to Sacramento in the play-in game. Even though they didn’t get Paul George and couldn’t pry Lauri Markkanen from Utah (and it’s no secret around the league that they have a vigilant eye on Giannis Antetokounmpo), the Warriors like what they have this season.
Is it good enough to become a top-six team in a loaded West? There’s enough talent, depth and championship pedigree for the Warriors to believe that.
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