Warriors clean up worst bad habits in dominating win over Hawks

Warriors clean up worst bad habits in dominating win over Hawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors flew home from Los Angeles late Monday night and felt the defeat made worse by the fact that they had poisoned their own water.

They responded by cleaning the toxins on Wednesday night with a 120-97 route of the ragged Atlanta Hawks before 18,064 at the Chase Center.

There were some sloppy moments in the second half, but it wasn’t much of a game. Golden State raced out to a 21-point lead with 86 seconds left in the first quarter, pushed it as high as 31 and never let the Hawks get closer than 13 over the remaining three quarters.

What mattered to the Warriors — or at 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 bit.

“But the energy and sharp play in the first half was really fun to watch. We just have to keep building on that.”

While it’s clear the Hawks’ defense doesn’t pose the kind of challenges the Los Angeles Clippers presented two nights ago at the Intuit Dome, it was equally clear that Golden State is capable of healing itself when properly motivated .

After missing 10 free throws (9-of-19, 47.4 percent) On 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 falling behind badly in the second half and finished 12-of-18.

“Guys have to keep working at it,” Kerr said. “It’s not something I’m going to harp on. The guys know they have to get the work in on their own. We’ll be fine. We’ll turn that around.”

Two nights ago, the Clippers scored 31 of their 102 points thanks to Golden State’s 19 turnovers. It was the second straight game in which the Warriors offered their opponent 19 freebies.

They were much stingier with the Hawks, especially in the first half, with just five turnovers, of which Atlanta earned one free throw. The Warriors were actually 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 bad decisions, especially in the first half, and it put us behind 8 – the ball.

“The decision-making was a lot better to start the game; we only had five turnovers at halftime. It slowed down in the second half when I made some bad decisions, but getting off to that start was very important.”

Draymond Green, there spit up six giveaways in 32 minutes against Los Angeles, worked through 28 minutes Wednesday with nine assists to offset his three turnovers. Meanwhile, he led a defense that limited the Hawks to 33.3 percent shooting from the field, including 26.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Lindy Waters III, while unspectacular, gets a passing grade with 10 points, three rebounds and solid defense in his third straight start for De’Anthony Melton, who will have left knee surgery and was declared out for the season.

Andrew Wiggins had another impressive night in a row, 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 was mostly about the Warriors taking advantage of the opportunity to make some repairs against an underdog. Mission accomplished. They exited the arena with an 11-3 record and sat atop the Western Conference.

While first place doesn’t mean much when the NBA season is a week away from Thanksgiving, the Warriors are certainly encouraged by the absence of bad habits that will allow them to stay on top for at least a few more days.

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