Getty Donte DiVincenzo and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
Donte DiVincenzo had himself a night in the Golden State Warriors‘ 112-110 loss against the Denver Nuggets. DiVincenzo tallied 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists on Sunday, knocking down 8-of-12 attempts from the floor.
After the tough finish, the former Villanova-standout sat down with reporters and discussed the Warriors heavy reliance on the team’s leaders.
“Ultimately, you have to look at yourself in the mirror,” DiVincenzo said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “If you’re out there playing this game and you’re waiting for somebody else to tell you — excuse my language — get your head out of your ass, that’s not going to work. It’s not going to win games. So you have to look at yourself in the mirror, and you’ve got to start from within.”We have great leaders, and I think we rely on those leaders big time. But everybody outside of that, we have to come together as well. Because that’s a lot of responsibility on three, four of those guys, and I think we’ll take them to a new level when everybody else sticks together and uplifts them as well.”
The defeat in Denver saw Golden State’s record on the road drop to just 9-30 on the season. With the playoffs right around the corner, the team hasn’t figured out how to win away from Chase Center, which is a concerning trend considering their current seeding.
If the season ended today, the Warriors would be the sixth seed out West, earning them a first-round meeting the Sacramento Kings. Of course, four of the hypothetical seven games in that series would have to played on the road.
Stephen Curry Discusses Needed Improvements Ahead of Playoffs
Speaking of the Dubs’ leaders, star guard Stephen Curry also spoke with the media after the loss to the Nuggets.
He focused on needed improvements ahead of the upcoming postseason, pinpointing mid-game lapses, like the one on Sunday.
“So it’s just a matter of executing, being mindful of what it takes to win that particular game that night, maintain our momentum that we’ve worked hard to create in the first half, but weren’t able to do it,” he said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “Still, the grit and the fight allows us to be one shot away from stealing a game we had no business being in. But we got to come to a realization like if we’re going to win or do anything in a playoff kind of scenario, a game like tonight can’t happen.”
Warriors Expected to Get Andrew Wiggins Back This Week: Report
Playing the whole 48 minutes is of course important for playoff success, as is just being whole.
Fortunately for the Warriors, it sounds like they’re going to be able to roll out their complete starting-five come playoff time.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnorowski, starting forward Andrew Wiggins is expected to return to the team this week, after nearly two months away.
“Golden State Warriors All-Star forward Andrew Wiggins is nearing a return to the team and is expected to be back early this week,” Woj reported in a tweet. “Wiggins has missed 21 games attending to a family matter. Huge boost for the defending champions and sixth seed in the West.”
ESPN Sources: Golden State Warriors All-Star forward Andrew Wiggins is nearing a return to the team and is expected to be back early this week. Wiggins has missed 21 games attending to a family matter. Huge boost for the defending champions and sixth seed in the West.
