The Warriors return home from their road trip to what will probably be the most excited crowd ever. Not excited because Warrior fans just love their team (that's part of it). But because their return coincides or rather collides with Joe Lacob's celebration for successfully getting the ‘OK' to purchase the team. That is, 50 percent off all available tickets AND concessions. Welcome back, Warriors. Welcome back.
The Warriors take on a familiar foe that they witnessed just a week prior in the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons having started 0-4 have since rebounded to go 4-2 with their second victory notched with a win over the Warriors 102-97.
One of the tougher match-ups in that game was between Stephen Curry and Piston's Rodney Stuckey, who overpowered Curry, and, at times, Monta Ellis towards 21 points and 9 assists. As Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote in today's post on Stephen Curry's recent troubles on the offensive and defensive end, Curry has not looked good on the defensive end against bigger guards he faced, such as Rodney Stuckey, Derrick Rose, and John Salmons. I would go so far as to extend this struggles to even quicker guards like Brandon Jennings, who's breaking of Curry's ankles on a crossover has been circulating the internet with a quickness.
With disappointment in his eyes, frustration clenching his jaw, he plopped in a chair and started fidgeting with his hands. Those hands that had missed 10 of 12 shots to that point. Those hands that helped him commit three fouls in 32 seconds.
"It seems like I'm playing extremely bad when I'm not making shots," Curry said after Saturday's loss at Milwaukee, sniffling because of a cold. "It can look like you're a little depressed over there, so I try to keep my body language good. But ..."
The Warriors are 4-0 at home, but without PF David Lee, who is out for the rest of the week while recovering from surgery. Without Lee, the Warriors will struggle again to defend their interior. Two games after getting into a Twitter war with Kevin Garnett, Charlie Villanueva lit up the Warriors for 16 points and 10 boards. The Warriors also struggled to defend the perimeter as Richard Hamilton returned to form for one game, scoring 27 points.
For more on tonight's game, see Golden State Warriors Game Thread.