The Golden State Warriors are without Stephen Curry, who is currently receiving therapy after a back injury he sustained earlier this week, visited the Atlanta Hawks at the State Farm in Georgia, but what would have been an easy road victory turned catastrophic for the Dubs.
The Hawks had a terrific game overall, which allowed them to have a 21-point lead early in the fourth quarter. The Warriors kept hitting back and slowly made it a tight competition, but it was too late to even make a comeback.
Jimmy Butler kept it going by putting up 25 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds. Golden State’s young guns, Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, and Moses Moody also chipped in with 16, 19, and 20 points, respectively.
Trae Young Making History Against the Warriors
Young finished the game with his 41st double-double of the season after tallying 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists. Subsequently, the 4-time All-Star passed NBA legend John Stockton for 8th-most 20+ points and 10+ assists games in NBA history.
Trae Young is currently the league leader in assists, and after accumulating a total of 741 assists against the Warriors on Sunday, he now passes himself for the 5th-most assists recorded in a single season. This just goes to show how excellent of a playmaker Young has been in his career, aside from being a deadly three-point shooter.
Draymond Frustrated After a Loss They Could Have Won
Even without their biggest star, fans thought this wasn’t a difficult task for Golden State. However, they struggled against a bigger Atlanta Hawks team who has proven to be one of the best defensive teams in the league, especially with Dyson Daniels on the floor.
Warriors veteran and team captain, Draymond Green was obviously not happy with this loss, and it’s understandably so. It could have put them in a better position before the playoffs and this one game may change their trajectory, given that they’ll go up against better teams in the coming days.
The Next Few Games Will Be Crucial for Golden State
After the Hawks, the Warriors will be on another 5-game road trip before returning to the Bay Area. Two of those games will be against top-seeded Western conference teams (i.e. the Grizzlies and the Lakers), and without Curry, this would be bound to be a difficult road ahead of them.
Even when the return home on April, they’ll have to go up against the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, and the Los Angeles Clippers. Simply put, their final games before the season concludes will be crucial for the Warriors’ playoff hopes. They’re currently sitting on the 6th seed, but they’re also just 0.5 games ahead of the 8th spot, which will quickly make them a play-in team again.
