The Warriors were, for much of the game Wednesday night in Miami, inferior to their opponent. They were outshot by the Heat, through three quarters, and outrebounded throughout.
But the Warriors were able to steal a 118-112 victory at American Airlines Arena, moving their record to an astonishing 51-5, because they have the best backcourt in the NBA.
Point guard Stephen Curry kept the Warriors close, and shooting guard Klay Thompson came along to put them over the top.
Curry finished with 42 points, while Thompson fired in 33. Their 75 combined points marked the eighth time they’ve scored at least 70 points between them.
“We needed every point from both guys to win the game,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters at American Airlines Arena. “Miami outplayed us much of the game, but we hung there. And Steph and Klay took over in the fourth quarter.”
The fourth quarter is, as Magic Johnson once said, “Winnin’ Time.” With the Warriors trailing 90-89 and eight minutes remaining, Thompson went to work. He had scored 16 points through the first three quarters, but now he was determined to make a difference.
[INSTANT REPLAY: Warriors catch fire late, slip past Heat]
Thompson scored 15 points over the next 4:29, giving the Warriors a 104-100 lead with 3:31. He single-handedly outscored the Heat 15-10 during that stretch. He was draining everything, and his teammates were looking to get him the ball.
“These guys are such high-character players, with great IQs, that they knew when I’m hot that as long as I don’t settle for a good shot but a great one . . . they’re going to find me,” Thompson said. “And that’s what they did in the fourth.”
Thompson played the final 8:06, scoring 17 points in that span. He went through nearly 26 minutes to find his first 16 points.
“I was getting really good looks all night,” he said. “I had to stick with it, because of a lot of them were in and out.”
On a night when Thompson was the ultimate rescuer, Curry was the steady presence that never let the Heat get carried away with the game. Miami led by as much as 12 and did a nice job of setting the pace. They were crisper at the start and hung with the defending champs for the better part of the night.
They led by nine (30-21) after one quarter and by four (55-51) at the half.
“They were tougher, physically, early in the game – the whole first half,” Kerr said. “I felt very fortunate to be within four at the half, because they were more ready to play, tougher physically, guarded us better than we guarded them.”
Dwyane Wade was a headache, getting the better of Thompson through the first three quarters and finishing with 32 points. Center Hassan Whiteside, still coming off the bench, came through with 21 points and 13 rebounds in 32 minutes.
[TURNING POINT: Curry's two 3-pointers late in fourth quarter]
Wade and Whiteside, in particular, made sure the Warriors were going to have to work – and take some lumps – for everything they got.
“We knew the way that they’re successful is with physicality,” Curry said. “They play their style and they try to get to it every game. They battled and they made shots. D-Wade and Hassan had huge games. It was a huge test.”
The Warriors opened as if they spent Tuesday night enjoying the temptations of South Beach. They were languid and, at times, sloppy. Kerr picked up on it early, but it took a while for his exhortations to take full effect.
Curry, meanwhile, was doing his thing. He scored 14 points in each the first and third quarter. It was, at times, as if he alone was chasing the Heat.
And there he was, again, in the fourth, working with Thompson to get the win.
“We can both get hot,” Thompson said. “When you have scoring lulls . . . Steph has incredible takeover ability. I try to play at his level, but obviously not as electrifying as him. But we can both get hot at the right time, when need be.”
They were needed on this night. On a night when the Warriors didn’t bring their customary defense, were outrebounded and their bench crushed by that of Miami, Curry and Thompson delivered.
