The Golden State Warriors have built a reputation for being an offensive juggernaut, leading the next-best scoring team in the league by a whopping 8.2 points per game. But besides the all-around firepower this team possesses, averaging a whisker short of 120 points per game, they have become the most dangerous team in the third quarter.
According to Team Rankings, the Warriors lead the league in third quarter scoring at 32.6 points with a seven-point differential, which is the biggest margin from best-to-next in any quarter for any team this season.
Reserve forward Nick Young offered a unique look on why the Warriors' offense comes alive after the half time break.
“They’re so used to winning. They don’t pretty much wake up until they feel they need to,” Young said, according to Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News. “You got teams that come in ready and are amped up to go against a championship team. They know how to win. They know when to turn it on.”
Star forward Kevin Durant had a differing viewpoint, now having enjoyed more than a season within the Warriors' offensive system.
“Teams are coming out shooting a great first half with the basketball. It’s just the averages,” Durant said. “In the second half, you put a contest on some of those shots they were hitting in the first half, they’re not going to fall. When we get rebounds and run, that makes us dangerous. We score so quickly.”
Golden State has put up a couple of 40-plus-point quarters this season against the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves, both resulting in massive victories.
“With our talent, if we can get more field goal attempts than our opponent, we’re in great shape,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “Especially because of the explosiveness and the ability to make threes in transition and back breaking shots like that, if we can generate that kind of ball security and advantage and field goal attempts and possessions, we have a chance to break the game open. That’s what we’ve been doing.”
If the third quarter numbers weren't impressive enough, the Warriors are also tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the best fourth-quarter scoring at 28.1 points, while also ranking in the top four in scoring during the first two quarters.
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