NBA Notebook: How Warriors revived themselves without Klay Thompson to shock Celtics

Two nights after toppling the champs, the Golden State Warriors traveled to Cleveland, fell behind 20-2 and trailed by as many as 41 points before losing 136-117 to the undefeated Cavs. 

That's what makes the Warriors' revival, or at least reinvention, so hard to gauge in the loaded Western Conference. Steph Curry and Draymond Green remain alongside 2022 championship staples Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney, who made game-winning plays late in Golden State's upset win at Boston on Wednesday. The win could've declared the Warriors back from a down 2023-24, but even before flying to Cleveland, Curry paused.

"We haven't done anything yet," Curry said. "A good team, or a relevant team, wins the games they're supposed to win, you steal a couple on the road against good teams, protect your home court. We've done those things so far, but we got two more games on this road trip, two tough tests and again, the way we play, every night it's different. So you never really get too comfortable, because ... you don't know who's playing, you don't know whose night it's going to be. You just know that everybody's gonna be asked to do something this season to contribute. I like where we're at ... long way to go." 

It's difficult not to get caught up in Golden State's resurgence. Before Friday, the Warriors ranked No. 2 in defense (103.8), third in offense (119.3) and had held opponents to 29.5% shooting from three -- the lowest mark in the league. Joe Mazzulla touted their defense's ability to collapse into the paint then scramble to the perimeter. Green is back at the four next to young center Trayce Jackson-Davis while Steve Kerr has played an 11 man rotation. 

Andrew Wiggins is back after multiple seasons where he missed time to attend to a family illness. Jonathan Kuminga is trending toward the player many imagined him becoming while Moses Moody has become a starting level rotation player for them. Buddy Hield arrived from a failed stint in Philadelphia running Klay Thompson plays and shooting his volume of threes off the bench, a sixth man of the year candidate. Kyle Anderson stepped into and hit three consecutive threes over the Celtics' drop defense. Payton II returned in the James Wiseman trade after leaving for Portland, then recovering from injuries. Looney can still grab a big crunch-time rebound. Lindy Waters III has become a revelation coming over from Oklahoma City.

"We have a lot of fresh legs,” Payton II told Boston Sports Journal at shootaround. “It’s kind of like a line change. Another five (players) come in fresh, ready to go, stay with the aggressiveness on defense, and when that’s out, another line change and get some fresh legs back in there so we can keep going … it helps. We got a lot of smart guys, a lot of vets in here, K.A., (De'Anthony) Melton when he gets back. We got a lot of ways we can go." 

They felt too perfect after last year's debacle, including Green's suspension and Thompson's continued attempt to come back from multiple major injuries. The Chris Paul experiment sputtered. Curry scored 22 points in their play-in loss to Sacramento. Thompson missed every shot, and left for Dallas two months later. It could've been all over after the team struck out on reported pursuits of Paul George and Lauri Markkanen. Yet coach and quarterback remain, to compare them to the Patriots, while revamping the roster to face new challenges in the league and CBA cap constraints. 

Their demise is still possible in a stacked west. But the Warriors won games last week when Curry went down with an ankle injury. Brandin Podziemski and Melton missed Wednesday's win. They're suddenly overloaded with depth after reallocating their cap across multiple players after Thompson left. And while they'll always be mentioned if stars become available, still focused on maximizing what's left of Curry's prime, the long-awaited development of their draft picks into effective players appears close to complete. Even Kerr's bench underwent transformation with Kenny Atkinson gone to coach Cleveland, long-time NBA veteran and former Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse joining Kerr alongside former Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. 

"Ironically, this might be the deepest three-point shooting team we've had since I've been here," Kerr said.

That personnel allowed Golden State to keep the three-point margin close (19-14 BOS) despite attempting 20 fewer than the Celtics, shooting over 41% while limiting Boston to 35%. Payton II blocked Payton Pritchard early, only the second time a Celtic three-point shooter had his shot blocked this year to that point. Looney entered late for a pair of game-deciding put backs. Wiggins limited Tatum to 3-for-8 shooting, 0 assists and three turnovers across 35 possessions where they lined up. It looked like 2022 again. 

Golden State's scheme threw Tatum off more than any other team can seemingly replicate, holding him to an 0-of-4 start and two assists. Quick traps around screens on nearly every possession slowed him down and later, Golden State flashed something that looked like a box-and-one that nearly fully collapsed on Tatum's drives. The Warriors' disruptiveness resembled how they stopped him in 2022, though players and Kerr acknowledged Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis' absence as a factor. And Tatum is miles ahead of where he stood in those Finals, scoring 32 points on 10-of-20 shooting after his slow start. 

"We just talk about flying around," Looney said. "Knowing the shots we're willing to give up, the shots we want to take away, the shooters that we want to shoot. Things like that, we go over in game plan. (Stackhouse) is on us every day. We talk about, sometimes, you sure you want to give up that three? He says, 'live by our principles, if we do everything the right way, numbers are gonna play out.' I think we've been doing that as of late. They made a lot of threes in the second half, and it always gets nerve-racking when a team like that gets it going, but we live and die by our principles and we were able to guard pretty well." 

The 2022 Finals were a long time ago. Jordan Poole is in Washington after the Green punch. Green is sporting gray in his beard. Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica are retired, the latter now an executive overseas. Wiggins fell back to earth after his standout series. Andre Iguodala is the head of the player's union. 

It was also recent enough that Curry still sits atop the game, shooting 42.2% on 9.0 threes per game while averaging 7.0 assists. The Olympics, three months ago, featured one of the signature performances of his career. The Warriors have tried to keep their team in the mix for major moves while he's still in his prime while balancing the future. A quiet pursuit of LeBron James last year would've been facilitated by the Lakers if James wanted to leave. He did not. 

That allowed a new Warriors identity to take shape. One built around defense, not that it didn't play into their dynasty, but a new dynamic in the league demands depth to sustain injuries, maintain defensive intensity and mix lineups. Golden State stops the three, which Boston and others have driven far beyond how the Warriors utilized it to transform the game 10 years ago. Curry shot one attempt in his NBA debut in 2009. On Wednesday, 15 players between Boston and Golden State attempted at least one.

They meet again in January having split the season series in three years prior to this. We're a long way from a tantalizing championship rematch that seemed far from likely even one month ago. Now, it's hard not to dream about it, the old dynasty trying to stop the new one, Tatum-vs.-Kerr, however contrived, could take on a Kyrie-like life of its own. Warriors fans still invade opposing arenas on par with Celtics fans, giving the crowd mixed emotions when they meet. There would still be some redemption due for Tatum and the remaining Celtics from 2022 even after affirming themselves with the 2024 crown. It feels too good to be true, but as it stands in November, there's hope. 

"This is not the best version of their team, but they're still damn good," Kerr said. "We had some guys out too and I love our depth. I think we're built to withstand absences. We got a lot of guys who can come in and play big minutes for us, and help us win games like these." 

Here's what else happened around the league this week...

Atlanta (4-6): Not impressed by their depth with Bogdan Bogdanović, De'Andre Hunter and others out. Jalen Johnson led a rim-running effort to take an early lead on the Celtics before Jayson Tatum and Derrick White buried them. Zaccharie Risacher responded to a rough showing in the loss against Boston with his first career breakout, scoring 33 points in a comeback win over the Knicks. They're staying in the mix and could improve once they're closer to full health, but Trae Young's play (39.2% FG, 33.3% 3PT), scoring two points on 1-of-10 shooting against Boston, has fallen far below his standards. There's some reason for concern here. They visit the Celtics on Tuesday night. 

Boston (8-2): Jaylen Brown (hip) missed a fourth straight game while Luke Kornet (hamstring) fell injured in a loss to the Warriors where Boston met more defensive resistance than it saw all season prior. Neemias Queta started his first career game, a solid effort against the Hawks, before unloading on Golden State with five offensive rebounds and multiple crushing dunks in the same role on Wednesday. He's become a revelation after joining the Celtics on a two-way deal last fall. Jayson Tatum downplayed his displeasure with Steve Kerr after scoring 32 points in the loss. He's averaging 30.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 4.8 APG and 1.8 SPG on 48.3% shooting (36.9% 3PT). Assigned first round pick Baylor Scheierman to the G-League on Thursday, where he'll play in the Maine Celtics' first week of games, he told BSJ. He scored 32 points in their opener at Long Island. 

Brooklyn (4-5): Old friend Dennis Schröder is leading a surprising top-10 offense to begin the year, averaging 19.9 PPG and 7.3 APG on 50.5% shooting (49% 3PT) under first year head coach Jordi Fernandez. Ben Simmons has played six of their eight games, shooting only 4.3 attempts per game to post 6.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 6.4 APG. Cam Thomas shoots 19.8 field goal attempts per game, tied for eighth-most total in the league. They've beaten the Grizzlies twice, Bulls and Bucks so far and led the Celtics for most of their meeting on Friday before losing in overtime. They host them on Wednesday in Brooklyn. 

Charlotte (4-5): Mark Williams (foot) remains out and Nick Richards (shoulder) joined him for an uncompetitive loss in the second night of their back-to-back against the Celtics. Miles Bridges (knee) joined them on the sideline and Brandon Miller, who just returned from a glute injury to start the year, is dealing with his own shoulder pain. It's been hard to assess their play through the absences, ranking 19th (-2.9) in net rating. LaMelo Ball is a lone bright spot, averaging 28.4 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 6.0 APG and 1.4 SPG on 44.5% shooting (37.5% 3PT). 

Chicago (3-6): Zach LaVine missed time with an adductor strain this week after Billy Donovan admitted they dodged a bullet with Lonzo Ball's wrist injury, which could've become a fracture. They'll remain cautious even after getting the swelling down. Those losses place a larger burden on Josh Giddey, who's helped the Bulls become a fast-paced if not effective offensive unit. They rank 28th in offense and 20th in defense. LaVine reportedly remains available for trades as they explore his and Nikola Vučević's futures. 

Cleveland (10-0): The best offense in basketball through 10 games thanks to Kenny Atkinson and a rejuvenated Evan Mobley. They've also remained strong on defense, ranking eighth on that end to post the best net rating in the east (+12.7) over the Celtics. They strolled past the Pelicans and Warriors this week after beating the Bucks twice by one possession. Mobley is averaging 17.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 1.9 BPG (53% FG, 31.6% 3PT). The start marks their best in franchise history, affirming Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland staying together. 

Dallas (5-4): Joining the injury spree around the league with ailments to PJ Washington (knee) and Dereck Lively II (shoulder) that'll sideline them alongside Maxi Kleber (hamstring) and Dante Exum (wrist). They've gotten off to a solid start, ranking top-five in defense while Luka Doncic averages 28.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG and 8.0 APG on 40.7% shooting. Klay Thompson is shooting 36.8% from three and Kyrie Irving is a scorching 52% to begin the year. 

Denver (6-3): Survived a 124-122 win over the previously undefeated Thunder with Russell Westbrook, Christian Braun and Peyton Watson in the starting lineup before beating Miami in another high-scoring game on Friday. Jamal Murray (concussion) missed the last three games before returning with 28 points against Miami while Aaron Gordon (calf) will miss multiple weeks with a right calf strain that'll test Denver's already ailing depth. Nikola Jokić, laying the groundwork for his potential fourth NBA MVP award, averaged 28.9 PPG, 13.2 RPG and 11.3 APG on 55.6% shooting (52.8% 3PT) with Murray out. Westbrook scored 29 points on Wednesday.

Detroit (4-6): Lost Jalen Duren (ankle) in their 108-107 loss at the buzzer to Brandon Miller and the Hornets on Wednesday. He's listed as day-to-day after averaging 8.0 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.2 BPG to begin his third season. He's shooting 83.3% from the field, helping the Pistons score wins over the Lakers and Nets prior to his ailment. They beat the Hawks without Duren on Friday, Cade Cunningham scoring his third consecutive triple-double to match a franchise record set by Grant Hill (1997). 

Indiana (4-5): Tyrese Haliburton is reportedly dealing with lingering back spasms from the postseason and it's not the effects of the hamstring injury that derailed his season early before returning in the east finals contributing to his struggles. Haliburton is averaging 15.6 PPG and 7.5 APG, both significantly down over last year along with his 37.9% shooting from the field and 25.4% from three. He's shooting at the rim half as often, Kevin O'Connor noted, while teammates have picked him up in the 18th-ranked offense in the league. Defensively, they ranked 23rd. Haliburton's late three beat the Magic on Wednesday while Aaron Nesmith (ankle) remained out.

Clippers (5-4): Paul George received boos from Clippers fans in his first game back in LA since departing the Clippers over the summer following an extended contract dispute. George, who scored 18 points in a 110-98 loss, called the jeers stupid due to his departure coming in free agency, not through a trade demand. LA has remained competitive through a top-five defensive unit despite George's departure and Kawhi Leonard's (knee) continued absence. George also revealed he wanted to stay out of loyalty to Leonard. In his place, Norman Powell has taken over the Clippers' lead scoring duties, averaging 25.7 PPG on 51.6% shooting through his first nine games. 

Lakers (5-4): Lost 4-of-5 before Friday's win over the short-handed Sixers, most recently falling to Detroit and Memphis, while Anthony Davis succumbed to plantar fasciitis. He scored 31 points in 35 minutes on Friday after missing the Memphis game, ranked atop the league's MVP ladder one spot in front of Jayson Tatum, but he has struggled along with the rest of the team to protect the paint on the league's 26th-ranked defense. LA assigned Bronny James to G-League South Bay on Thursday, where he'll only play in home games as their season begins this weekend. JJ Redick had a tense moment leaving the podium after Wednesday's loss, already calling out D'Angelo Russell. Russell sat in favor of Cam Reddish on Friday. 

Memphis (6-4): Ja Morant (hamstring) left Wednesday's win over the Lakers after missing a dunk. He missed Friday's game against the Wizards with what the team is calling hip soreness. He averaged 20.6 PPG and 9.1 APG through the Grizzlies' first eight games though he only shot 44.8% from the field and 25.8% from three. Desmond Bane (oblique) and Marcus Smart (ankle), among others, also remain out. His 360 layup highlight his electrifying return from injury and controversy last year, reaffirming his status on the team while still being himself in a spat with LeBron James and LA leading up to the game. Yuki Kawamura, star of Team Japan in the Olympics, became the fourth Japanese player to score in an NBA game. 

"I don't like (the Lakers)," Morant said. "They knocked me out of the playoffs. And then last year we had a game, and they came here and popped it on our home floor when I was in street clothes. I wasn't tonight."

Milwaukee (2-7): Shook off a crushing 1-6 start, including back-to-back late losses against the Cavs, by beating the Jazz, 123-100. Then, they lost badly in New York, ranking 20th in offense and 22nd on defense, amounting to a -5.0 net rating that's worse than the Pistons, Hornets and Spurs'. Despite the slow start and daunting outlook, Brian Windhorst reported that Giannis Antetokounmpo and the team haven't discussed a trade, though Windhorst and people in the league believe that could happen in the future. Antetokounmpo is dealing with an adductor strain while Khris Middleton (ankle) hasn't progressed beyond three-on-three play yet. The Bucks host the Celtics at 3:30 EST on Sunday. 

New York (4-4): Jericho Sims is struggling and New York's defense fell to 20th through their first seven games with Karl-Anthony Towns taking over as center. Mitchell Robinson's eventual return will help while rookie Ariel Hukporti becomes an every day option now after the Knicks converted his two-way to a standard contract. New York needed to fill its 13th and 14th roster spots after the Towns trade, utilizing the other to add former Celtics shooter Matt Ryan, who had a solid stint in New Orleans. On a positive note, Towns is playing some of his best basketball ever, averaging 24.3 PPG and 12.8 RPG while shooting over 50% from the field and from three (90% FT). Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby are playing well too. Depth is the issue here. 

Oklahoma City (8-1): Legitimately had one of the best defensive starts to a season ever, relative to the play of the league, through their 7-0 start. Thunder opponents had shot 40.1% from the field (1st), 30.3% from three (2nd) and are forcing a whopping 20.3 turnovers per game. Their 99.4 points allowed per game were nearly six points better than second-ranked Golden State, while their 96.5 defensive rating was over seven points better than the Warriors'. Their 21st-ranked offense left some room for improvement, and they haven't rebounded much better than one year ago, but when their shooting improves and Isaiah Hartenstein returns, this looks like a team capable of pushing the Celtics if it comes to it. And oh yeah, they own Philadelphia's top-six protected first-round pick from the Al Horford trade as the Sixers sink. 

Philadelphia (1-7): An all-time Sixers low week saw Joel Embiid shove a reporter in the locker room, earning him a three-game suspension as he nears his return, and Tyrese Maxey go down with a right hamstring injury. Maxey is expected to miss multiple weeks, with an evaluation coming in one week, while Embiid could make his season debut on Tuesday against the Knicks when his suspension concludes. The altercation happened between Embiid and Marcus Hayes, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, who wrote that Embiid called his brother's death a turning point in his career and previously said he wants to be an example for his son, but criticized Embiid's conditioning as failing to live up to those aspirations. Embiid, according to reports, angrily told Hayes to keep his family out of it. Embiid had ripped Hayes at the prior practice while rattling off all the times he's played hurt. Paul George, now back for two games since his knee bone bruise, averaged 14.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 4.7 APG on 41.7% shooting (18.8% 3PT). 

“When I see people saying, ‘He doesn’t want to play’ — I’ve done way too much for this city, putting myself at risk, for people to be saying that. I do think it’s bulls***,” Embiid said. “That dude, he’s not here, Marcus, I’ve done way too much for this f****** city to be treated like this.”

Phoenix (8-1): Kevin Durant is an MVP candidate again, averaging 27.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 3.4 APG while shooting 55.3% from the field and 42.9% from three through a hot Suns start. Phoenix ranks 11th in offense, ninth in defense and third in shooting (56.8 eFG%), numbers that should improve if Devin Booker (42.9% FG, 32.4% 3PT) gets back to his usual efficiency. The Suns have shot the fourth-most threes as a percentage of their total shots, an expected change under Mike Budenholzer, while Bradley Beal is knocking down 37.2% of his. A slow Jusuf Nurkić start raises some questions inside, but rookie Ryan Dunn and Royce O'Neale in his first full season with the team give the Suns some lineup flexibility. It might be offense-only for this group, ultimately. Dunn sprained his ankle on Wednesday and missed Friday's win over Dallas. 

Portland (3-7): Former Celtic Robert Williams III hadn't played in two games since being activated earlier this week, either stuck behind fellow centers Deandre Ayton and Donovan Clingan, or not up to speed following a training camp hamstring injury. Then, the Blazers played Williams III spaced out in the corner next to Clingan 369 days removed from his last game. He caught, fired and hit his first career three, going on to score 13 points with three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 17 minutes, flashing all the old magic from his Celtics days. Dalano Banton continues to play steady minutes and scored 20 points in the fourth to help beat the Pelicans after not playing the prior three quarters, positioned as a closer of sorts. He's averaging 8.0 PPG and shooting 59.0% in his first full season with Portland after the Celtics effectively dumped him to add Jaden Springer in February. 

San Antonio (4-5): Head coach Gregg Popovich is away from the team indefinitely after suffering an undisclosed health issue before Saturday's win over the Timberwolves. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson took over this week, and while reports have conflicted about the severity of Popovich's health, Johnson and players have signaled that they expect him to return to the team. ESPN reported that he's at home and resting. Johnson, 37, formerly played college basketball at Stanford and has risen in the coaching ranks through San Antonio since 2016, interviewing for head coaching jobs while being considered a potential successor to Popovich when he retires. The team also lost Jeremy Sochan (thumb), who will miss some time after undergoing surgery. Devin Vassell (foot) will make his season debut on Saturday, per ESPN.

Utah (1-7): It looks like tanking time for Danny Ainge's team, who rank last in offense and 27th in defense through eight games. Keyonte George's minutes have been a disaster, shooting 32.2% from the field after a solid rookie season, while Jordan Clarkson missed the last two games. Former Celtic Svi Mykhailiuk received his first playing time this week, shooting 2-of-5 from three in 15 minutes last weekend. Will Hardy is now 69-103 as their head coach as Utah struggles to step beyond its rebuild phase.