Summer League Game 3: Warriors vs Pistons

Curry Spices Up Win Over Pistons
Posted Jul 14 2009 12:19AM

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LAS VEGAS, July 13 - The Golden State Warriors (2-1) exploded in the second half to easily claim a 97-69 win over the Detroit Pistons (2-1) Monday night at the 2009 NBA Summer League presented by EA Sports in the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.

“This young group has gotten better with every game,” Warriors Summer League Head Coach, Keith Smart, said after the game. “This has been the best group I have been around in eight years of coaching summer league basketball. They lock into what you want to do, they all want to get better. They have made my job pretty easy.”

Stephen Curry and Anthony Randolph led the Warriors to victory, as they contributed 23 and 21 points, respectively. Curry was 7-of-19 from the field to Randolph’s 6-of-12. Randolph collected a double-double, by combining 10 rebounds with his offensive production.

In the first quarter, the teams exchanged the lead four times and had two ties before Golden State snapped a 16-16 stalemate at 1:27 remaining. The Warriors rattled off six of the final eight points to claim a 22-18 lead through 10 minutes of action. Curry picked up four of his seven first-quarter points in the last 55 seconds from the free-throw stripe.

The second quarter witnessed Golden State break out to a 12-point lead during the opening 5:56 following a trey by Curry. With the Warriors holding a 41-29 edge, the Pistons rallied back off a 7-0 run of their own in a 2:34 span to pull within five at 41-36. The half ended with Golden State up 43-39.

The Pistons stayed within four through the first two minutes of the third quarter, but quickly succumbed to the Warrior offense. Golden State pushed out to a seven-point cushion at 50-43 and never let up, as they wound up extending it to 16 before the end of the frame.

The Warriors kept the gas revving in the fourth quarter and scored at will. They outscored the Pistons 25-10 in the final frame and reached a 28-point differential on two occasions, one of which being the final score.

Cartier Martin and Anthony Morrow helped out Golden State’s cause with their 18- and 17-point performances.

Austin Daye amassed a double-double for Detroit in a losing effort, as he notched 11 points and 11 rebounds. Jonas Jerebko led the team with 16, while Jeremy Pargo followed with 13.

Both teams will play their next game in the Cox Pavilion, but separated by a day. Golden State will face the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, July 14 at 5:00 pm, while Detroit squares off with the New York Knicks on Wednesday, July 15 at 1:00 pm.

Posted Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Lottery-loaded Warriors hand Pistons first Summer loss

LAS VEGAS – One lottery pick, no problem. Two lottery picks? Different story. The Pistons knocked off Sacramento and its lottery pick, Tyreke Evans, to open their Summer League schedule, and followed up with a win over Toronto and its lottery rookie, DeMar DeRozan.

But on Monday night, playing a Golden State team with its 2008 lottery pick, Anthony Randolph, and its 2009 first-rounder, Stephen Curry, the Pistons were up against a little too much firepower, losing for the first time in Las Vegas, 97-69 to the Warriors.

Randolph had 21 points and 10 rebounds before sitting out the fourth quarter and Curry led the Warriors with 23, hitting 3 of 7 from the 3-point arc while playing point guard.

Besides the two lottery picks, Golden State’s lineup also included Anthony Morrow, a tremendous shooter who worked his way into the Warriors’ rotation as a rookie, plus Cartier Martin, who played 33 games for Charlotte. Those four combined for 79 points for Golden State, which broke open the game with a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter and outscored the Pistons by 15 in the period.

“We kind of struggled physically – they manhandled us a little bit,” said Pistons assistant Pat Sullivan, who ran the team after fellow assistant Darrell Walker had done so in the first two games. Pistons coach John Kuester arrived Sunday and watched the game from the stands with Joe Dumars and his front-office staff.

“I think we just didn’t have legs. Not to make any excuses – those guys played great. Curry, you can see what kind of player he’s going to be in our league. Randolph, of course, is a tough matchup, and Anthony Morrow made shots. They played like Golden State plays – run and gun and had some fun.”

The headliner for the Pistons was Jonas Jerebko as their three 2009 draft choices continue taking turns in the starring role. DaJuan Summers had 24 in the opener, Austin Daye 19 and eight rebounds in the second game and Jerebko had 16 points off the bench on Monday.

He again played mostly center out of the desire to get all three major minutes and had a tough matchup against veteran NBA center Jamal Sampson, but continued to display his athleticism and tenacity inside. Jerebko hit 6 of 9 shots and added four rebounds and two steals in 29 minutes.

“I try to play physical,” he said. “I tried to compete. That’s what I’m in there to do. I feel a little more into it, third game. You’ve got to get into the NBA style of play. I’m still not into it, but I just try to play my game – physical, intense, just get out there and try to play my game.”

Sullivan invoked the same comparison Monday that Walker did after Saturday’s win: David Lee.

“He’s got that athletic ability,” Sullivan said. “He shoots it pretty well, but right now if he just screens and rolls to the rim, you can see his athleticism. He keeps tons of balls alive. It is tough on him because we’re asking him to play the five and with some of these guys, he’s overmatched because of his size. He’s definitely a four man. Athletically, he’s second to none.”

Jerebko had several nice moments, including a confidently stroked fast-break jumper, a strong finish at the rim while being fouled, a hard dunk in traffic and an acrobat tip-in. Maybe his best move of the night came in the second half on a beautiful pump fake and drive, finishing with a reverse layup. He also showed terrific defensive footwork at one point when he got caught on Randolph out on the floor, ultimately forcing Randolph into an awkward miss.

It was an uneven night for Daye, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds but almost turned it into a triple-double with eight of the Pistons’ 18 assists.

“Today I made a lot of turnovers and mental mistakes,” Daye said, “driving too far into the basket when I should have pulled up – things like that. They’re things you can correct the next day, so I’m definitely going to make the correction the next time I play.”

Daye didn’t have to look far to see the type of player he and the Pistons hope he becomes. Randolph is also a lanky 6-foot-11 player with perimeter skills. Though Randolph has a little more wiry strength and explosiveness, Daye has an edge in shooting and ballhandling. The big difference right now? Randolph’s one year of NBA experience.

“He’s a great player,” Daye said. “He does the same things I like to do. He’s just improved so much from one year to the next, so hopefully I can do the same things.”

Daye again flashed his ability as a transition facilitator, picking up a loose ball and leading a fast break that ended with a no-look pass to Sean Singletary that led to a Golden State foul and two points. He also displayed good court vision, running the pick and roll and throwing a lightning wraparound to Trent Plaisted that got deflected at the last second and later getting inside and finding Jerebko for a layup attempt that drew a foul. After playing all 40 minutes in Saturday’s win over Toronto, he played all 30 through three quarters Monday and finished with nearly 38 minutes.

Summers had his most challenging defensive matchup yet, going against Randolph, and he finished with nine points and two rebounds, shooting 3 of 11, while picking up 10 fouls in 28 minutes.

Jeremy Pargo, Daye’s undrafted teammate out of Gonzaga, saw his first action after being a late addition to the roster. After a rough start – he got picked by Curry on his first possession – Pargo finished with 13 points and four assists.


The Pistons practice Tuesday, then play Milwaukee – and their fourth straight lottery pick, Brandon Jennings – on Wednesday.

The Pistons have about $3.2 million under the cap, not the $3.5 million I projected Monday after the Arron Afflalo-Walter Sharpe trade. The reason? The trade left the Pistons with just 11 players and that means they had to add a minimum deal for $300,000 to their cap to get the minimum of 12 roster spots demanded by the collective bargaining agreement.

As it stands now, the Pistons will have three second-round picks in 2011 – their own, Toronto’s (Carlos Delfino trade) and one from Denver as a result of Monday’s Arron Afflalo-Walter Sharpe deal – plus two, potentially, in 2012. That’s when Houston’s pick for sending the No. 44 pick in the recent draft to the Rockets could come due, though it has limited protection that could push it back. The pick from Denver, reports say, is the lesser of the Nuggets’ own pick and Portland’s, which Denver owns.