Golden State Warriors hold on for win against the Detroit Pistons
The Golden State Warriors (7-4) held on for a 101-97 victory against the Detroit Pistons (4-7) on Monday 15 November at the ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California.
The Warriors pushed their home record to a perfect 5-0 with last night’s win, their best start at home since winning their first six contests back in the 1990-91 season. Meanwhile, the
Pistons dropped their road record to 2-5 on the season.
The Warriors were once again led by Monta Ellis, second in the league in points per game, who had 27 points on the night, making both of his three-point attempts. Their young point guard
Stephen Curry chipped in with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Small forward Dorell Wright had 16 points, seven rebounds, and six assists while Reggie Williams led all bench scorers with 14 points.
The Pistons displayed a balanced attack last night with six players scoring in double-figures. The best all-around game came from point guard Rodney Stuckey, who finished with 11 points,
eight rebounds, and six assists. Charlie Villanueva came off the bench to record a near-double-double with 18 points and eight rebounds. Tayshaun Prince, Austin Daye, Ben Gordon, and Richard
Hamilton finished with 15, 14, 14, and 13 points, respectively.
The Warriors were up big early in the game, outscoring the visiting Pistons 34-21 in the first quarter. With Ellis scoring 24 of his 27 points in the first half, the game was getting out
of hand for the Pistons when a three-pointer by Curry pushed the lead to 65-33 with two minutes left in the first half. A quick 9-0 run by the Pistons cut the lead to 65-42 heading into the break.
After outscoring the Warriors by five points in the third quarter, the Pistons still trailed 87-69 going into the final frame. But a layup by Gordon halfway through the period capped a
17-7 rally, cutting the Warriors’ lead to 94-86. Detroit were down only two points with possession and 14 seconds remaining. But Gordon had a costly turnover on the play when Wright stole the ball to clinch the win for the Warriors.
What they said
Ellis said his team will take the win, even though they blew a large lead.
"It took all 48 minutes. That's what we did. We got a win. It was an ugly win, but hey, we'll take it. We got a win, move on."
Gordon was disappointed that he let slip a chance to tie or take the lead in the dying seconds.
"I was happy that we got it close," he said. "We just made some simple mistakes at the end. I had some bad turnovers."
But Detroit coach John Kuester was happy with the fight he saw in his team.
"The guys worked hard and showed a lot of grit," he said. "It was a heck of a comeback."
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