Steph Curry didn’t travel to Atlanta, and neither did the Warriors’ defense.
Golden State yielded 40 points in the first quarter and never slowed down the Hawks, who shot 57% from the field in the game. Atlanta outscored the Warriors 60 to 44 in the paint as center Onyeka Okongwu (22 points, 12 rebounds, six assists) controlled the lane.
The 124-115 loss tips off a six-game, two-week road trip. Golden State (41-30) is tied with the Clippers in the loss column, clinging on to sixth place by percentage points.
The Warriors are now 16-3 with Jimmy Butler in the lineup. They’ve already proven they can win without Curry, but it didn’t look like it in State Farm Arena — where Golden State has dropped six straight games.
“It’s a bad loss,” Draymond Green told reporters postgame. “Terrible loss. We’re in the position where we have the chance to compete with something, 11 games left … you shouldn’t have a loss like that. Too much on the line. Got to win the games you’re supposed to win.”
Curry wasn’t in Atlanta as he recovers from a pelvic contusion. Butler led the Warriors in scoring with 25 points and eight rebounds while Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga provided boosts as well.
Curry is due for a re-evaluation on Monday, before the Warriors’ next game. Being forced to play without Curry isn’t the worst thing for the Warriors, especially if Curry’s injury isn’t a long-term issue.
Just this week, Golden State defeated the Bucks without Curry, who got the night off for mental and emotional recuperation. Having players learn how to play off Butler when he has to be more aggressive can be valuable playoff preparation reps.
But the Hawks aren’t pushovers. Ranking fifth in points per game since the All-Star break, Atlanta pushed the pace — even after made baskets — and put the Warriors in constant binds with high pick-and-rolls.
Trae Young started 3-for-3 with eight points and four assists, picking apart the Warriors in a 40-23 first quarter. The Warriors aggressively double-teamed Young toward the end of the first frame and beyond, hoping to force his teammates to beat them.
They did. Okongwu nailed a pair of 3s, and Terance Mann stuck one, too. And eventually, George Niang knocked down everything.
The Hawks led by 20 before Kuminga found a bit of a rhythm in the second quarter. The fourth-year wing made Atlanta pay in transition with a layup, converted an and-1 inside and also pulled up for a midrange jumper. His boost, plus a corner 3 from Moody, inched the Warriors within 13.
Kuminga bottomed a 3-pointer and then found Buddy Hield for another one in the corner, but the Warriors still couldn’t string together stops. Atlanta frequently put Quinten Post into actions, challenging the rookie center to make reads against Young in the pick-and-roll. Post has gotten targeted more often recently as teams add more details to their scouting reports. At one point, Curry reminded Post to not lose his confidence when teams go at him, relating to the rookie.
The beneficiary of the Hawks’ strategy was often Okongwu, who tallied 18 points, six rebounds and five assists in the first half.
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Post and Brandin Podziemski opened the second half with 3-pointers to claw within six. That pair has been dialed in from deep recently and went 8-for-12 from behind the arc in the game.
Atlanta kept surging, slashing into the lane at-will and either finishing or kicking to open shooters. Too often, the Warriors surrendered drives down the middle. Golden State tried Trayce Jackson-Davis as the Hawks stretched their lead back out to 19. Even after forcing misses, Golden State struggled to close out possessions with rebounds.
Niang poured in six 3-pointers and 23 points off the bench, helping Atlanta decipher the Warriors’ zone defense that fleetingly looked like it could be a comeback tool.
What really inspired a comeback was locked-in defense from Green and Gary Payton II spending more time checking Young. Podziemski and Moody each drew charges as well as the Warriors repeatedly turned Atlanta over in the fourth.
The Warriors went on a 16-3 run and a Moody corner 3 made it an eight-point game with 2:30 left.
But that was as close as they’d get in the arena they can’t seem to win at.
