Steph Curry Inbounds The Ball To Himself; Is That Legal? [VIDEO]
MICHAEL WAGAMAN, Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — On a night Stephen Curry struggled with his shot, Golden State barely missed a beat while extending its unbeaten streak.
With Curry suffering through his worst offensive night of the season, the Warriors got a big boost from their bench to pick up the slack, much like they did last season when they captured their first NBA title in 40 years.
Andre Iguodala and Leandro Barbosa combined for 23 points off the bench, and Golden State used a big run early in the fourth quarter to pull away and beat the Detroit Pistons 109-95 on Monday night to remain the league's only undefeated team.
"Our second unit is, we feel, the best in the NBA," Warriors interim coach Luke Walton said. "We've got veterans on that unit that know how to win. When they give us that type of performance it just makes us that much more dangerous."
Curry, who finished with 22 points, missed five of his first seven shots and finished 7 of 18 from the floor while being held under 30 points for only the third time this season. The reigning MVP also had five assists and five rebounds.
It hardly mattered, even though Detroit kept things close.
The Warriors led by as much as 17 but had trouble shaking the pesky Pistons. Detroit, which rallied from 13 points down in the fourth quarter to beat Portland a night earlier, cut the gap to 80-76 heading into the final 12 minutes.
With Walton resting most of his starters to begin the fourth, Golden State pulled away with a 10-0 run.
Harrison Barnes made a 3-pointer from the corner, Barbosa scored five straight points and Shaun Livingston added a layup following a turnover to put the Warriors up 92-78.
Curry made a 3-pointer then added a free throw after Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy was called for a technical foul to extend the lead to 102-82.
"I definitely think we've got the best bench in the league," said Draymond Green, who had six points, nine assists and 10 rebounds. "That's a real weapon for us. It was last year and it is again this year."
Klay Thompson added 24 points, Barnes had 12, Iguodala scored 13 and Barbosa had 10, including five straight to help the Warriors pull away in the fourth quarter.
Golden State's 8-0 start is the second-best in franchise history. The Philadelphia Warriors won their first nine games in 1960-61.
Reggie Jackson, coming off a career-high 40-point night in Portland, scored 20 points for Detroit (5-2). Andre Drummond added 14 points and 15 rebounds.
"You can't turn the ball over 20 times and give up 35 fast-break points," Van Gundy said. "That was the difference in the game. We made bad decisions passing the ball and turned it over too much."
BOGUT BACK
Golden State center Andrew Bogut played for the first time since suffering a concussion in the team's season opener. The 7-footer came off the bench midway through the first quarter and had points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes.
DRUMMOND DOUBLES UP
He didn't put up the eye-popping numbers he has been, but Detroit's dominant big man in the middle still managed to get a seventh consecutive double-double. It's Drummond's league-leading 112th double-double since 2013-2014.
T'D UP
Van Gundy was called for the technical foul after arguing with referees over Golden State's offensive tactics. "Some of their screens are perfectly legal and some of them aren't even close, but you still have to fight through them," Van Gundy said. "The one I got the technical on, fine I'll take it. You watch the tape and tell me I'm wrong. I'll give you the $2,000 I have to pay the league. It wasn't even close."
TIP-INS
Pistons: Detroit has lost nine straight to the Warriors dating to 2010. The Pistons, who lost on the road for the first time this season, haven't won at Oracle Arena since Nov. 13, 2008. ... Stanley Johnson came off the bench to score a season-high 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting.
Warriors: Golden State has won 23 straight at Oracle Arena. ... Thompson joined Curry as the only players in franchise history with 800 career 3-pointers. . Bogut was cleared to play before the game after passing the NBA protocol for concussions. Bogut, who suffered a broken nose during the preseason, wore a protective mask.
UP NEXT
Pistons: At Sacramento on Wednesday.
Warriors: At Memphis on Wednesday.
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