Poor bench play, another sloppy start doom Warriors in 4th loss
It's only fitting that on the night when Ben Wallace's No. 3 rose to the rafters, it was defense that won the game.
The Detroit Pistons held the Golden State Warriors to 36 percent shooting as they handed the reigning champions their fourth loss of the season in front of a capacity crowd at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
The Warriors, who once made a habit of blitzing their opponents early on, have gotten off to uninspiring starts over the past three games. Their margins over that span hardly read like the scoreline for a team that outscores their opponents by an average of 14 points per game.
| Team | Warriors total | Opponent total |
|---|---|---|
| Kings | 26 | 27 |
| Heat | 27 | 25 |
| Nuggets | 32 | 25 |
| Lakers | 24 | 23 |
The problem reared its head again Saturday, with Golden State falling behind 21-11 after making just one basket in the opening four minutes. Harrison Barnes tried his hands at pull-up long twos in transition, Klay Thompson tossed a floater pass that was easily picked off, and Stephen Curry dribbled across four defenders and predictably got his pocket picked.
Curry would at least redeem himself with a smattering of jumpers - including a preposterous 30-footer with a foot still on the Pistons' logo - to erase the deficit, but the unit never did find its rhythm.
With the starters struggling, it was up to Golden State's bench to do the heavy lifting. That didn't work so well, with the Pistons' bench nearly doubling the Warriors by a score of 33-17.
There's no superstar hiding on Detroit's bench. Stanley Johnson's had a promising rookie campaign and Brandon Jennings is a proven scorer, but the group's mostly ranked among the league's worst. That's why their starters have logged the second most minutes per game this season.
On Saturday, however, Golden State's second unit made the likes of Steve Blake and Aron Baynes look like superstars. They went a combined 8-of-8 from the floor and were plus-28 together.
With loss, Warriors (37-4) fall behind 1996 Bulls into tie for third-best record at halfway point in NBA history pic.twitter.com/V2JdRf8x0o
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) January 17, 2016
The Pistons deserve credit for executing a near-perfect game plan. They protected the rim at all costs, and allowed the Warriors' worst shooters to hoist jumpers. They held the Dubs to 32.6 percent shooting on 46 attempts in the restricted area, and everyone outside of the "Splash Brothers" combined to shoot 13-of-50 from the field.
Marcus Morris and Andre Drummond made for a monstrous duo. Morris' quickness negated Draymond Green's tricky versatility and Drummond's agility and size made him an impossible stumbling block at the hoop.
As for the Warriors, their lack of success on offense threw everything else out of whack. They were uncharacteristically sloppy on defense, and a rash of questionable officiating had the Warriors irate over the stripes rather than focused on the deficit.
Another slow start, a horrendous showing from the bench, and an unfocused and frustrating shooting performance was too much to overcome - even for the reigning champions.