Locked On Warriors – Daily Podcast On The Golden State Warriors

The Warriors look to take their win streak to four games heading into the All-Star Break, with their last game up in Portland against the Trail Blazers. The Blazer may be without Jusuf Nurkic tonight, while the Dubs will have Draymond Green returning to the lineup. Look for Steph Curry and Klay Thompson to light it up before they head down to LA with Kevin Durant and Draymond to represent GSW at the All-Star Game.

This season, the Warriors have nearly identical stats at home and on the road. That's rare, even for a very good team. The Warriors have already lost 7 games at home this season, and could be on their way to more home losses if they don't pick up their focus and defensive intensity. Separation in home-road splits would be a great sign going into the home stretch of the season.

Around the NBA, the Rockets are on a 9-game win streak, and the Jazz have won ten in a row. The Raptors have overtaken the Celtics for the top spot in the East, and the new-look Cavs have dominated multiple game opponents. Perhaps the Warriors can use rest from the break to get into a little win streak of their own.

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The Warriors took on the Suns at home last night and for the third-straight game, Stephen Curry didn't have to play the fourth quarter. Actually, the fourth featured heavy minutes from Omri Casspi, Nick Young and Kevon Looney, who all played well in the win. Casspi in particular had a double-double and made the younger Suns guarding him look slow.

Casspi make an appearance on Dub of the Week, but it's Patrick McCaw who gets the honor this week, as he played basketball on five-straight days going back and forth between Santa Cruz and the big club.

Also on tap: whether or not Derrick Rose is worth a look, and how much of a threat are the Rockets?

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The Warriors got a good win over San Antonio on Saturday to keep pace with the Rockets in the Western Conference. They defended well and didn't turn the ball over too many times. Perhaps what we were waiting to see until after the All-Star Break is starting to come to fruition earlier than expected.

Jordan Bell is still dealing with ankle inflammation, and will likely not return until after the Break. Speaking of, the Rising Stars Challenge will be played on Friday and will feature the NBA's top talent from the last two draft classes. These young guns will put on a show before the big show. Watch out for Ben Simmons who feels he was snubbed for the All-Star Game, and Donovan Mitchell who has been playing like a wily veteran scorer for the Jazz.

Tonight the Warriors face the Suns for the first time this season. Phoenix may be without Devin Booker, but the Warriors are definitely going to be without Draymond Green, who is nursing a left hand injury.

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The Warriors nabbed a healthy win last night at Oracle against the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs came into Oakland reeling from injury but still put up a good fight for about three full quarters. In the end however, the Dubs got back to their smothering defensive ways, and Steph Curry didn't have to play in the fourth quarter. GSW needed a win like this.

Miles joins Aliko today to discuss all things NBA via the world of Reddit, including the latest on Markelle Fultz's injury saga, LeBron commenting on Isaiah Thomas' departure from Cleveland, and Kemba Walker replacing Kristaps in the All-Star Game.

Lastly, Aliko and Miles go in on the Spurs, who are once again at the top of the league defensively. GSW will face San Antonio at Oracle on Saturday night with the hopes of beginning another winning streak, but 35-21 Spurs are no slouch and will have gameplanned for almost every eventuality. The Thunder and Rockets also make appearances in this segment.

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The Cavaliers decided that one trade was not enough, firing off a series of moves that have completely transformed their roster. They got younger and fast, but this still doesn't guarantee a trip back to the Finals, or that LeBron will stay in Cleveland beyond June.

The Warriors stood pat at the deadline despite inquiring about players such as Avery Bradley and Marco Bellinelli. They could potentially pick up Joe Johnson off waivers if his is bought out by the Kings, but the Celtics and Rockets are also in contention for the veteran's services. If the Warriors do pick up Johnson, they will have three former All-Stars coming off the bench along with Andre Iguodala and David West, in addition to the four current All-Stars starting for the team.

Tonight the Warriors face the Mavericks at home, potentially without Kevin Durant, who is nursing a left hand contusion. Dallas is hurting as well, and could be without Harrison Barnes, their leading scorer tonight. The Mavs jettisoned Devin Harris at the deadline in favor of Doug McDermott, who may or may not be available to play tonight.

Around the NBA, the Jazz and Knicks made moves at key positions, while the Clippers signed Lou Williams to a new three-year deal rather than trading him. They also held onto DeAndre Jordan. The Celtics kept Marcus Smart and Atlanta elected not to trade Marco Bellinelli. The Lakers transformed by picking up Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye, while also opening up some cap space for the summer.

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The Dubs' latest thumping came at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, I would say the Thunder have GSW's number, but most of their problems were in the effort department. Seemingly no one except David West even tried to stay in front of Russell Westbrook, while 25 turnovers—most of them live-ball and many of them plays of insanity—fueled OKC's fast break. Kevin Durant was mostly good but took only 14 shots due to the turnovers and didn't have much backup last night.

The difference in Offensive and Defensive Rating numbers on Basketball Reference and NBA.com is the subject of this week's Statistical Deep Dive. Going forward, I will utilize Basketball reference for individual ORtg and DRtg, while utilizing the NBA's stats website for team ORtg and DRtg. The differences in the stats on both websites are broken down in the second segment.

In the third segment, I look at the bigger picture for the Warriors, including the chance that they will go into the playoffs without the no. 1 seed. Other topics include Kristaps Porzingis' ACL tear (and who should replace him in the All-Star Game), and Patrick McCaw taking a G-League sabbatical. Kevin Durant hurt his left hand and is questionable for tomorrow's game against the Mavericks.

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The Warriors will face the Thunder—losers of four straight—tonight at Oracle Arena. The Thunder have had an up-and-down season and are currently in 5th place in the loaded Western Conference. The Warriors will have to have their heads on swivels defensively if they are going to win against a very good team with its back up against the wall. The vaunted Dubs defense has fallen to 10th in the league over the last month and change.

JaVale McGee doesn't play big minutes but he always impacts the game when he enters—he's this week's #WarrioroftheWeek. Though he can be flighty at times, his per-36 numbers compare favorably with many defensive-minded rebounding bigs that play more minutes.

Zach Lowe of ESPN reports that the Warriors inquired about Avery Bradley, who was recently traded to the Clippers, Though the talks went nowhere, this is a sign that the Warriors are trying to upgrade at the wing position before the February 8 trade deadline. Could McCaw be on his way out of Oakland?

Around the NBA, the standings are starting to take shape. The Warriors are only one game ahead of the Rockets in the loss column. Debates as to whether the Dubs having homecourt throughout the playoffs is that important abound. But with the Rockets having won the season series, there is only one way for GSW to retain the no. 1 overall seed: win more games.

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The Warriors began the weekend with a solid win in Sacramento, though they committed 25 turnovers in the 15-point victory. Stephen Curry led the team in +/- and Kevin Durant had a team high 33 points. The Dubs followed it up by posting a defensive rating of 118 in a loss to the Nuggets in Denver. In both games, GSW allowed at least 5 players from the opposition to reach double figures.

There are bright spots however. Damian Jones got his first extended runs of 2018 in the two games, igniting the Warriors with a monster block against the Nuggets on Saturday. Kevon Looney played some solid minutes as well. David West was away from the team attending the funeral of Rasual Butler, his close friend. The Warriors have two meetings against the Thunder coming up—OKC is another team that has beaten the Warriors this year.

So the defensive intensity will have to pick up at some point. The Warriors have fallen to 10th in the league in defensive rating behind an early-2018 stretch that has seen them routinely allow more than 110 points/game to their opponents. The final minutes of the Denver game show the ways in which the Dubs have faltered defensively; ball-watching, helping off shooters, and late rotations abound.

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The Warriors are coming off a loss and playing two teams who've beaten them earlier in the season in a back-to-back beginning tonight in Sacramento. The Dubs were without Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry in their loss to Sacto earlier this season, however Durant played in a lackluster effort against Denver on December 23. The Kings are near the bottom of most major statistical categories, but the Nuggets are coming off a big win over the Thunder on a Gary Harris three-pointer, and are currently two games above .500.

Miles joins Aliko to discuss both games and go Down the Reddit Hole in the second segment. Topic include Nikola Jokic's excellent play of late, conspiracy theories about the rampant LeBron free agency rumors, and why James Harden's step-back isn't a travel. Also: Greg Monroe signed with the Boston Celtics for money but less playing time than he would have gotten in New Orleans. And: Would it even be worth it for the Cavs to land DeAndre Jordan considering what they'd have to give up?

In a bit of Warriors news, Bob Myers confirmed that the team is looking to upgrade its bench shooting before the trade deadline. The Dubs are at the bottom of the league in three-pointers made off the bench, but are still in the conversation for best three-point shooting teams because of three guys who do it better than almost anyone ever has. Omri Casspi—a very capable three-point shooter—will need to bring a shoot-first mentality into any playing time he receives the next few games.

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The Warriors may have been blown out in the last game, but they still have the league's best offense and it isn't that close. Aliko breaks down some set plays the Dubs have run over the last week and a half, including the options those plays help spring open.

Sleepy Floyd is the primary subject of this week's #ThrowbackThursday, but all of the period from 1978-1990 is fair game as Aliko illustrates of brief history of the Warriors during that time. Famously, Sleepy Floyd scored 29 points in the 4th quarter of Game 4 of the 1987 Western Conference Semifinals against the Lakers—an NBA Playoff record. 

In the last segment, Aliko goes around the NBA, making sense of Kevin Love's broken hand, bringing you the latest on the upcoming All-Star Game, and addressing the reports that LeBron would consider meeting with the Warriors in the offseason.

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