What we learned as Dubs lose despite Steph's triple-double originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The Warriors showed considerably more life Tuesday night in the third game of their five-game road trip than they had in the first two.
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In the end, however, their old habits – namely turnovers – cost them and they walked out of FTX Arena in Miami with a 116-109 loss to the Heat.
The Warriors (3-5) managed only one field goal over the final five minutes – while committing three turnovers – while the Heat (3-5) scored 12 points during that span.
Stephen Curry posted the 10th regular-season triple-double of his career, totaling 23 points, 13 assists and 13 rebounds. Klay Thompson finished with season-high-tying 19 points.
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It was a rough night for Jordan Poole, who scored nine points on 3-of-10 shooting and committed five turnovers.
Here are three observations from a game leaves the Warriors with an 0-3 record on the first three games of a five-game road trip that continues Thursday at Orlando:
Klay shows signs of warming
The wait for Klay Thompson might be over, as the five-time All-Star looked better than he has in any game this season.
Thompson’s 19 points came on 7-of-19 shooting from the field – but the most refreshing sight was that of his 3-point attempts splashing through the net. Shooting 14-of-49 (28.6 percent) from deep this season, he was 4-of-7 before missing all five of his deep attempts in the fourth quarter.
It appears that getting a night off – Klay sat in Detroit on the second night of a back-to-back set – was of great benefit.
Thompson dropped two triples during his 11-point third quarter to move into a tie with JR Smith for 17th place on the all-time list with 1,930 makes.
The Warriors entered the season knowing they can’t be a legitimate contender without significant contributions from Thompson. He hasn’t provided much – until Tuesday night. Maybe this will get him going.
A semblance of defense arrives
It wasn’t perfect, or even close, but the Warriors put together the kind of solid defensive performance they’ve been searching for.
They were crisp and active early, swarming energetically and switching with more precision than they have all season. The starters set a searing pace, limiting the Heat to four field goals in the first seven minutes.
Though the second unit gave all of that back, allowing Miami to close the first quarter on a 20-3 run, the tone was set. This was not another night of persistent lethargy and a litany of missed or late rotations – though there were a few of those.
Golden State held Miami to 43.9 percent from the field through three quarters before the Heat hit at 50 percent (11-of-22) in the fourth quarter.
Coach Steve Kerr left Detroit pleading for his team to show a “sense of urgency.” It was visible more often in Miami than for any game this season – but not enough to finish.
Wiggins sheds mini-slump
After a strong start to the season, Wiggins fell off sharply over the weekend, shooting 4-of-13 from the field at Charlotte and 4-of-15 at Detroit, where was a team-worst minus-25.
Whatever slowed him didn’t make the trip to Florida, where Wiggins returned to the form he had achieved through the first five games.
Displaying a high effort level throughout, and at both ends, Wiggins carried much of the offense in the first half, scoring a team-high 14 points and finished with 21. Moreover, he pitched in five assists, four rebounds and two blocks.
He looked more like the Wiggins the Warriors are going to need.
