The Warriors kept their winning streak alive by a slim margin, using a fourth quarter rally to earn a 105-100 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Monday night. Kevin Durant, on his very own bobblehead night, led Golden State with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson added 25 and 20 points, respectively, marking the second-straight game and eighth time this season Durant and the Splash Brothers have all eclipsed the 20-point threshold. With the victory, the Warriors improve to 16-2 on the season and stretch their winning streak to 12 games.
On the same day in which he was named Western Conference Player of the Week and had his inaugural bobblehead night as a member of the Warriors, Kevin Durant had one last laugh on Monday night as Golden State managed to win a game they spent much of the first half giving away. The Dubs clearly had a case of the Mondays, committing four turnovers in the first five minutes of the contest while simultaneously digging themselves a six point hole. Trailing 14-8, Andre Iguodala entered the game for Durant with 5:52 left in the opening quarter, and the savvy veteran proved to be Golden State’s catalyst yet again, as the Dubs immediately ripped off a 15-1 run to take their largest lead of the entire night. The Hawks, however, would respond with a 9-2 burst of their own and eventually trim the Warriors advantage to 29-27 at the conclusion of the opening frame. The Warriors managed to compile assists on all but one of their 11 first quarter baskets, but committed six turnovers in the process that Atlanta turned into nine points.
The Hawks would carry their momentum into the second quarter, evening the score on Tim Hardaway Jr.’s jumper 16 seconds into the period and finally retaking the lead on Hardaway Jr.’s three-pointer just under three minutes into the frame. Atlanta would go on to hold that lead through the remainder of the second quarter and the entirety of the third, building an advantage as large as seven points on two occasions, but never more. Their inability to expand on that lead may have come back to bite them in the end, as Ian Clark’s three-pointer at the third quarter buzzer brought Golden State within a single point at 82-81, and ignited their onslaught to begin the fourth.
The Warriors used an 8-0 run to begin the fourth and final frame to retake a lead they would never relinquish, and once again, Iguodala was at the center of the action. After Durant opened the frame with a jumper, Iguodala followed that up with two consecutive plays of the spectacular variety to get the home crowd on its feet.
The Hawks would temporarily regain their footing and climb within two points on Dwight Howard’s split free throws with 6:15 remaining, but that’s as close as they’d get for the rest of the night. Golden State responded with the next six points, the final four of which were scored by Durant, to rebuild the Warriors lead to 97-89 with 4:05 left to play, equaling their largest advantage of the contest. Atlanta would respond with one final flurry, outscoring the Warriors 10-5 over the next three minutes, but Draymond Green found Durant for a dunk off an inbounds play with 1:25 remaining to seal the victory for the Golden State.
With the victory, the Warriors improve to 16-2 on the season and 2-0 to begin their current five-game homestand, which will resume on Thursday when the Dubs play host to James Harden and the Houston Rockets.