SAN FRANCISCO – First, let’s go back a few weeks. The Warriors faced the Clippers in Los Angeles in the last game before the All-Star break. That’s the night they dropped 134 points and Steve Kerr and Draymond Green ripped through their collective defensive performance for the entire season.
Here’s a look at the late third quarter. Bones Hyland, the Clippers’ new slippery goalscorer, had Ty Jerome in an isolation environment. The Warriors’ biggest defensive problem was attacking. They’ve left most of the season behind. Hyland shoots right past Jerome and slides in for a layup before JaMychal Green can spin to help.
Fast forward to Thursday evening. Jerome is still at a disadvantage when trying to contain Hyland in space. Nothing has changed between the two.
But watch out for that possession early in the fourth quarter. Hyland operates on the right wing against Jerome. He seems to have a step on himself with a left dribble. But Hyland abruptly halts his ride. The defense scheme has changed. Draymond Green sits behind the game, right in the suit, waiting in Hyland’s direct path.
That forces Hyland to pull over and hand it to Russell Westbrook, who Green ignores. Westbrook misses a 3. The Clippers get an offensive rebound. Westbrook misses another 3.
On the Clippers front, that result — a 115-91 victory for the Warriors — should only add to concerns about the decision to sign Westbrook. He was the focus of Golden State’s defensive strategy. They dropped him deep in the paint by Green, played safety and asked Westbrook to hit them with jumpers. He could not.
On the Warriors front line, it’s the latest in a string of encouraging defensive performances. During that four-game winning streak without Steph Curry or Andrew Wiggins, they’ve held the Rockets, Timberwolves, Blazers and Clippers on 101, 104, 105 and 91 points, respectively, a miserly 100.0 defensive rating while easily the best in the league during this one mini track.
This includes two direct games with exotic game planning and focused execution. Against the Blazers, they flashed Damian Lillard on tall screens and even used a box-and-1. Against the Clippers, they not only slumped in front of Westbrook, but also navigated well in the other areas of focus.
“It wasn’t just a Russ slump,” Green said. “Everyone was fixated on their reporting. If there was a top lock with Paul George, Donte (DiVincenzo) was in the top lock. Klay (Thompson) was all about Kawhi (Leonard). (Jonathan Kuminga) walked in and he was everywhere as he guarded each of these guys. It was an absolute team effort.”
This property is a perfect example. Westbrook puts the ball on the field. Green is dripped far back into the paint. Kevon Looney, guarding Mason Plumlee, another non-shooting threat, is also in a capable support position behind the game.
That allows DiVincenzo to lock Paul George down from above and block his path to the perimeter without fear of being knocked over the top on a pass. Westbrook tries anyway and throws the ball into the crowd.
The Warriors also incorporated an effective zone defense and changed the Westbrook assignment. Thompson is his closest defender on that particular possession. He stays aloof and finds a rebound.
This is one of Thompson’s 11 rebounds, the first time he’s had double-digit rebounds in a game since 2017. Eleven is his career high in the regular season. But he was quick to point out after the game that he had 14 in a playoff game against Spurs in 2013. Rebounding was an additional focus of Thompson’s departure from the deadline. It’s another example of an increasingly focused Warriors team now going three games over .500 for the first time this season.
But so much of Thursday’s schedule was green-related. While watching the tape of Green’s charged defensive performance against the Blazers, Kerr texted Green to update him on the Westbrook-related game plan they would be using against the Clippers.
“We went over it at the shootaround this morning to try and get everyone to understand the concept,” Green said. “It’s very easy when a guy is sagging and (the open guy) catches it, it’s easy to turn to him. We didn’t want that.”
“Draymond is the best midfielder in the league in my opinion,” Kerr said. “I mean, no one can screw up the track like him and just read what’s happening, help wherever help is needed, and then come in and bounce.”
Here’s possession in the first quarter. Leonard uses a tall screen to get past Thompson. Looney picks him up, but Green threatens. That lures Kawhi into passing to an open Westbrook in the corner instead of shooting the contested layup. Westbrook missed. Green bounces.
The win put the Warriors in sole possession of the fifth seed. They’re a good game ahead of the Clippers and Mavericks. They get the Pelicans Friday night with a chance to complete a 5-0 home record before Curry is likely to return to the lineup with the Lakers on Sunday. This is the peak of the season and is achieved due to increased focus, effort and game planning on the defensive end.
“We’re starting to gain some momentum,” Kerr said.
(Photo of Jordan Poole celebrating in front of the Warriors bench on Thursday: Kelley L. Cox/USA Today)