Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) is congratulated by forward Draymond Green (23) after scoring against the Detroit Pistons during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Golden State scored 41 points in the 3rd quarter and hit 8 three’s in the frame to beat Detroit.
By Cole Reece| January 12th
Drummond had the magic tough for the Pistons in the 1st quarter. The big man was 4/4 and was a menace on the offensive glass. On the other side of the court, Golden State put their backcourt to work. Steph and Klay were lights out in the 1st. Curry, in particular, went off for 14 points beating the Pistons almost singlehandedly. A somewhat concerning stat was the 5 turnovers committed by Steph. He was forcing some passes. The offense was spectacular on both sides. Detroit started 11/18 while the Dubs shot 10/14. The Dubs made 5 three’s en route to a (37-30) advantage after 1 quarter. Golden State struggled to start the 2nd quarter. The Warriors went nearly 4 minutes without a field goal. Detroit was lying in the weeds and went on an 11-2 run to tie the game at 41. KD cured the offensive woes and got Golden State out of their funk. The Pistons did not go quietly as they stayed right with the Warriors. Detroit had four players in double-digit scoring (Harris, Drummond, Jackson, and Morris). Points in the paint favored the Pistons 28-18 over the Warriors. Not to mention their advantage in 2nd chance points 8-0 against the Dubs. Golden State took a slim lead into the half (60-58). All thanks to 19 points from the Chef and 13 from KD. The defense ramped up for the Dubs in the 3rd quarter as they slowed Detroit’s offense. Steph and Company went to work and rained three’s down upon the Pistons. It was total dominance as Golden State ran away from Detroit in the 3rd. 8 three-pointers pushed Golden State’s lead to (101-77). The Warriors scored 41 points in the 3rd frame. No one could have kept pace with Golden State in that quarter. The only thing left to decide in the 4th quarter was how many points Detroit’s bench could muster. Curry(24) Durant(25) and Thompson(23) all scored 20 plus points in the game. Golden State is undefeated when the Splash triplets accomplish that feat. Warriors advance to 34-6 with the 127-107 rout of Detroit. Golden State returns to action Monday against the Cleveland Cavaliers at 5 pm.