For the second game in a row, the Golden State Warriors defense hindered the opposition in the fourth quarter.
The Dubs held the Indiana Pacers against just eight of the 18 in the final period, advancing to a 111-107 victory.
Golden State did the same on Tuesday in its win over the New York Knicks, smothering Indiana with the game on the line. The Dubs were active at the defensive end during the game and were quick in their rotations. They were able to land on the Pacers shooters and held Indy to shoot seven of the 29 from outside the arc.
As usual, Stephen Curry led the way with 24 points, but it wasn’t a one-man show. The Warriors had five other players score in double figures, including Eric Paschall, who came in with 13 points, six of which came in the last quarter.
Paschall has had a mixed season, but like teammate Kelly Oubre Jr. he is at his best when he attacks the rim and is not satisfied with jumpers. Pachall was aggressive in the last period, coming up with three big-boy buckets, including this one that extended the lead to six with 1:14 remaining.
The Dubs were freezing from the outside, coming only 19.2% of their tries from deep within, but scored 66 points in the paint, 22 more than their seasonal average. Attacking the paint and playing defensively is a recipe for success for the team.
Since the first of the month, Golden State has been in third place in the percentage of opponent field goals and sixth in defensive rating, a big turnaround from the start of the season.
It was a rocky start for the Warriors. They missed their first six three-point attempts and trailed 12-9 after six minutes into the game. But Golden State recovered to make a 14-7 run to get back into the game and had a 25-22 lead after one run.
The Warriors’ defense was back on track. They’ve done a great job challenging Indiana’s 3-point attempts, holding the Pacers down to just three of the 14 firing from the depths. Unfortunately, Golden State also struggled from the outside, with only 13.3 percent in the first half.
Despite playing on Tuesday, the Warriors didn’t look tired and matched Indiana’s energy in the first 24 minutes as the Pacers took a 58-56 lead at half time.
Both teams’ struggle with shooting from the outside turned into the third, combined to go three-for-14 from outside the arc. But Golden State did well by attacking the rim during the quarter, scoring 20 out of 28 points from a mix of buckets in the paint and free throws. The Dubs took an 84-80 lead in the fourth where they could hold on for the win.
Golden State improved to 18-15 and is only one game in fifth place in the Western Conference.
The Next Step: The Warriors get a shot at revenge when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.