SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors flew home from Los Angeles late Monday night feeling the sting of defeat made worse by the fact that they had poisoned their own water.
They responded by cleansing the toxins Wednesday night with a 120-97 rout of the ragged Atlanta Hawks before 18,064 at Chase Center.
There were some sloppy moments in the second half, but it wasn’t much of a contest. Golden State raced out to a 21-point lead with 86 seconds left in the first quarter, raised it as high as 31 and never let the Hawks get closer than 13 over the remaining three quarters.
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What mattered to the Warriors – or least it should – is how they did it. They used the first half to reverse their worst tendencies of two nights ago, one being a consistent problem and the other occasional.
“I loved the first half. The first half was very aesthetically pleasing,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We let our guard down a little bit, especially late in the third quarter. The game got away from us a little bit.
“But the energy and the sharp play in the first half was really fun to watch. We’ve just got to keep building on that.”
Though it’s clear the Hawks’ defense doesn’t pose the kind of challenges the Los Angeles Clippers presented two nights ago at Intuit Dome, it was just as evident that Golden State is capable of healing itself when properly motivated.
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After missing 10 free throws (9-of-19, 47.4 percent) Monday night – and failing to top 72 percent from the line in any of the last five games – the Warriors made 11 of their first 12 against Atlanta before trailing off badly in the second half and finishing 12-of-18.
“Guys have to keep working on it,” Kerr said. “It’s not something that I’m going to harp on. The guys know they’ve got to get the work in on their own. We’ll be all right. We’ll turn that around.”
Two nights ago, the Clippers scored 31 of their 102 points courtesy of Golden State’s 19 turnovers. It was the second consecutive game in which the Warriors offered their opponent 19 free gifts.
They were much stingier with the Hawks, particularly in the first half, with only five turnovers, off which Atlanta earned one free throw. The Warriors indeed were messier in the second half, with 10 turnovers that were turned into six points.
“Make simple decisions. That’s something we’re hammering home this year,” Kerr said for maybe the 50th time this season. “In the Clipper game, we made some very poor decisions, especially in the first half and that put us behind the 8-ball.
"The decision-making was much better to start the game; we only had five turnovers at halftime. That waned in the second half, when me made some poor decisions, but to get off to that start was very important.”
Draymond Green, who spit up six giveaways in 32 minutes against Los Angeles, worked through 28 minutes Wednesday with nine assists offsetting his three turnovers. Meanwhile, he led the way for a defense that limited the Hawks to 33.3-percent shooting from the field, including 26.1 percent beyond the arc.
Lindy Waters III, though unspectacular, gets a passing grade with 10 points, three rebounds and solid defense in his third consecutive start for De’Anthony Melton, who will undergo surgery on his left knee and was declared out for the season.
Andrew Wiggins had a second consecutive impressive night, following up a 22-point game in LA with a team-high 27 against Atlanta. Trayce Jackson-Davis posted his first double-double of the season, with 14 points and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes.
This mostly was about the Warriors taking advantage of opportunity to make some repairs against an inferior. Mission accomplished. They walked out of the arena with an 11-3 record and sitting atop the Western Conference.
Though first place doesn’t mean much when the NBA season is a week away from Thanksgiving, the Warriors surely are encouraged by the absence of bad habits that will allow them to stay on top for at least another couple days.