The Golden State Warriors sit atop the entire NBA standings, playing some of the most electrifying basketball we've seen since .... well, the Golden State Warriors championship teams. The Warriors begin a four-game road stretch on Monday against the Brooklyn Nets, but it's been their current 7-1 homestand that has seen them rise to the top of the Western Conference.
They have won every game of this home-stand by double digits, by 21, 22, 41, 13, 14, 13, and 26 points. Their only loss, by a three-point margin, came in overtime.
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The Warriors offense last season was shaky as the the team was missing Klay Thompson and still learning how to fit their remaining roster around Steph Curry, trying to maximize their star guard's prime years. They averaged 27 assists per game as a team. This season, with much more complimentary pieces around Curry, the team is averaging a league-high 29.4 per game, suggesting the ball is moving much nicer within the offense.
The scary part is, not only do they have one of the best offenses in the league - even without Thompson who remains out injured - but also the Dubs defense is currently among the best in the league.
Their 98.7 defensive rating is league-best and 101.5 points allowed is second only to the Denver Nuggets
The Warriors are 11-1, their only loss coming in OT. They have won their last 7 by double digits.
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 13, 2021
They have the best net rating, defensive rating, points per game, assists per game, steals per game, threes per game by any team this season.
And this dude isn’t even playing yet. pic.twitter.com/2kC6EKfkL2
On Monday they held the Bulls duo of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, who averaged a combined 51.9, to just 41 points. A big reason for their defensive versatility has been the play of Andrew Wiggins who is able to guard the opposing team's best players.
"I have the mindset to go out there and make it hard for them," Wiggins said earlier this week. "And we do it collectively as a team. My teammates back me up, I back my teammates up and we do it together."
It is fair to say that the Warriors have only played five games against teams with a record of .500 or above, but you can only beat the team that is on the schedule that night and so far the Dubs are doing that with ease.
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