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OAKLAND – The Warriors on Wednesday night knew what to expect from the Pacers, that they would try to slow the game, grind out possessions and constipate the league's most lethal offense.
For a while, it worked. The Warriors, so potent at Oracle Arena, were staggering and fumbling. The defense was sluggish, the offense arrhythmic.
But these Warriors are fairly quick to analyze and respond. And they had Klay Thompson there to deliver the punishing blows in a 117-102 win over Indiana that extended the Warriors' home win streak to 13.
Thompson rained 40 points upon the Pacers, and he scored them in times of desperate need. During a decisive third quarter, when the Warriors took command, he scored 15 of the team's 34 points.
"He was knocking them down," Stephen Curry said of Thompson. "He was very aggressive. He was huge for us to open that game up. When he's got it going, you look for him in transition and in halfcourt offense. He was making plays for us all over the floor."
They were needed. Down seven late in the second quarter, the Warriors (28-5) pulled it together to tie it 50-50 at the half. They took command in the third quarter when Thompson ignited things by scoring eight points in 72 seconds on two 3-pointers and a layup.
In an instant, the Warriors were up 10 (60-50). They never again lost the lead.
After shooting 39.6 percent in the first half, the Warriors shot 60.5 percent in the second – when Thompson scored 27 of his 40. Big man Marreese Speights also heated up, scoring 14 of his 18 points on 6-of-6 shooting.
"We had to figure a lot of things out as we went," coach Steve Kerr said. "The players did a great job of doing things on their own and sorting through the game. You'd like to think as a coaching staff that you have all the answers, but you never have all the answers. The players are the ones doing all the work."
Curry had a productive night, finishing with 21 points and 15 assists. The league leader in steals added another four. He was 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, including his first 3-pointer that made him the youngest player ever to make 1,000 treys.
If not for Thompson, though, the Warriors would have been in trouble against the plucky Pacers (14-23). Thompson, who shot 14-of-25, including 6-of-11 from deep, credited his teammates.
"They know where I like the ball and they know where my hot spots is – which tonight was pretty much anywhere," he said.
THE GOOD
Center Andrew Bogut returned to the lineup for the first time in 30 days and said afterward he felt fine. He came off the bench and played 15 minutes, contributing 4 points and eight rebounds.
David Lee came off the bench, missed his first two shots and recovered to make six of his last eight. He finished with 13 points in 17 minutes.
The Warriors moved to 11-0 against Eastern Conference competition, their best start ever against the East.
THE BAD
The Warriors for the first 20 minutes were as uninspired as they've been all season, trailing by as much as 11 (42-31, 6:18 left in the first half) before storming back.
Andre Iguodala's shooting woes continue: 1-of-5 overall, 0-for-3 from 3-point range, and has missed 12 of his last 16 treys.
THE TAKE
The Warriors continue to do whatever is necessary to own their home court. They've had dominating wins, narrow wins, ugly wins and fabulous wins. This one was workmanlike against a blue-collar team. The Pacers make opponents earn everything, and the Warriors were up to the task – thanks largely to Thompson.