Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors have been looking better and better as their young unit gets more reps in. The Dubs capped off their four-game road trip with a 111-107 win over the Indiana Pacers and they got it done once again from the defensive end.
As Anthony Slater of The Atheltic puts it, the Warriors are getting W's through their defense at a time where the rest of the league is totally reliant on their offense. They've climbed all the way up to the fourth spot of the league's best defensive rating and have grinded out 18 wins so far ahead of the upcoming mid-season break.
Warriors are winning with defense at a time when others aren't. Fourth best defensive rating in the NBA, second best FG% defense. It can get ugly, but they grinded out two more vs Knicks and Pacers last two nights. Record up to 18-15 and do seem to be forming identity.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 25, 2021
Without their second-best scorer and elite perimeter defender in Klay Thompson, who's missing his second straight season, the Warriors have relied heavily on Stephen Curry's offense. Though he's been on his best scoring form in years, it's been hard for Golden State's offense to simply click through him. This has forced the Warriors to get the job done on defense and so far, it's been working.
On Wednesday, they again had to depend on their defense after an ugly shooting performance almost cost them their game. Curry only hit 1-11 from deep and the team collectively just made five. That said, they were able to step up on the other side of the court and limited the Pacers to just seven threes and just 45.7% from the field. They also forced 19 turnovers and made crucial defensive plays down the stretch.
As the saying goes, “defense wins championships”. And, although this particular Warriors unit might not be a championship team just yet, best believe their building towards it with effort and stops.
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