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 The Warriors held the Detroit Pistons to 13 fourth-quarter points
and opened a six-game road trip with a 104-96 win Monday night at
The Palace.
"These are the ones I prefer for us to win now," said O'Neal, an
18-year veteran power forward. "It teaches us how to win when it's
not going well for us, when we're not making all the 3s and the
flashy plays. We don't have a whole lot of playoff experience on
this roster, so they don't necessarily know what it takes to win it
all. Games like this are teaching us how to win it all."
Point guard Stephen Curry had 19 points, nine assists and eight
rebounds, and shooting guard Klay Thompson also scored 19 points to
help Golden State (35-22) earn its fourth consecutive win. O'Neal
contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds, and reserve guard Jordan
Crawford chipped in 15 points, his best offensive night since he was
acquired from the Boston Celtics in mid-January.
The Warriors allowed 62 first-half points but held the Pistons to
29.8 percent shooting after the break. Golden State defeated Detroit
for the sixth straight meeting by holding the Pistons to two points
in the final four minutes.
"We gave up (62) points in the first half, and that's a recipe for
disaster against any team on the road," Curry said. "To hold them to
34 in the second half, that's big. It allows your offense to get
back in the game."
Golden State coach Mark Jackson called a timeout late in the third
quarter with the Pistons leading by three and demanded defensive
commitment from his team.
"He told us what he needed to tell us," O'Neal said. "I can't repeat
what he said, but it was very intense. It got our attention, and
from that point on, we made it very tough on those guys to score."
Power forward Greg Monroe had 23 points and eight rebounds for
Detroit (23-34), which lost for the fifth time in six games. Forward
Josh Smith recorded his fourth double-double in six games with 18
points and 11 rebounds, and swingman Kyle Singler added 18 points.
The Pistons' offense petered out in the closing minutes as they
missed their last eight shot attempts.
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"We took it to the finish line, we just didn't cross it," Detroit
interim coach John Loyer said. "We have to get to the point where we
can finish them. We didn't score down the stretch."
Loyer was encouraged by his team's overall play despite the late
sag.
"Our effort from the opening tip was tremendous," he said. "I
thought we sustained it, but they're such a powerful team. I look up
one second, we're up three. Next minute, maybe you're down nine or
down six. They can score so easily and so quickly, even when you
play good defense."
Warriors power forward David Lee missed his second consecutive game
because of a stomach flu. Center Andrew Bogut returned after missing
seven straight games with a left shoulder injury, but he was limited
to four points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes before fouling out.
Guard Steve Blake's 3-pointer off a Curry feed gave Golden State a
92-90 edge with 6:28 remaining. The Warriors maintained the lead the
rest of the way.
Curry's pull-up jumper made it 97-94 with 3:09 left. Thompson's
mid-range jumper with 2:26 left stretched the Warriors' lead to
five. Golden State extended its lead to eight before the Pistons
belatedly answered in the final minute.
NOTES: The last time the Warriors won five or more consecutive games
over the Pistons was a seven-game streak in 1975-76. ... Michigan
State coach Tom Izzo sat courtside to watch his former player,
Golden State PF Draymond Green, who scored six points. ... The
Pistons have allowed opponents to score 110 or more points on 18
occasions this season. During the six consecutive seasons from
2002-03 to 2007-08 when they reached the Eastern Conference finals,
they allowed 110 or more points just 14 times. ... Pistons PF Greg
Monroe has an Eastern Conference-best 89 double-doubles since the
2011-12 season. Chicago C Joakim Noah is second on the list with 84.
... The Warriors won for the 11th time in their past 14 road games.
"The thing that gives us confidence is we're a defensive-minded
team," coach Mark Jackson said. "We understand that we are more than
capable of going on the road and winning ballgames."
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