Warriors dominant at home again, top Pistons
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors have yet to prove they are going to be a good road team this season.
But it did not take them long to demonstrate they are great at home.
Swingman Andre Iguodala contributed five of Golden State's 13 assists in a near-perfect first quarter as the Warriors built a 19-point lead en route to a dominant 113-95 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.
Guard Stephen Curry poured in 25 points in 29 minutes, and power forward David Lee contributed 17 points and nine rebounds, helping propel the Warriors (5-3) to their third consecutive one-sided home win of the young season.
"We have high expectations for ourselves," insisted Iguodala, whose team was coming off consecutive losses to San Antonio and Memphis to end a 2-2 trip. "We want to be one of the top teams in the league. This was a good response from the last two games."
Taking advantage of a Detroit team playing its first back-to-back of the season, the Warriors scored the game's first seven points, opened a double-digit advantage in the fifth minute and closed the period on an 11-2 burst that left the Pistons behind for good at 35-16.
"For us to be a successful team, we have to win our home games," Lee observed. "Tonight, coming back for a home game, it was a pivotal game for us. I thought we took care of business from the jump."
With Lee connecting on all four of his attempts, the Warriors shot 60.9 percent from the field in the first period, including 3-for-6 accuracy from beyond the 3-point arc. Golden State also made all four of its free throws in the decisive quarter.
The Pistons, meanwhile, missed 12 of their 18 shots, all three of their 3-point attempts and two of their six free throws over the first 12 minutes. They recorded assists on just two of their six hoops and were outrebounded 15-5.
"I'm a little disappointed in our effort," assured Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks. "You can't get down 20-25 points and be happy with the effort."
Detroit (2-5) was coming off a 109-103 loss to the Trail Blazers in Portland on Monday, a game that tipped off a four-game, seven-day trip. The Warriors last played Saturday.
"We understand how you get yourself in a good position in this league," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "You have to beat the teams you expect to beat. When you're at home, take care of business."
Lee had 17 of his points in the first half as the Warriors extended their lead to 62-41 by the break before coasting to their fifth consecutive win over the Pistons.
Golden State, which trailed for a total of just 23 seconds in its three home blowout wins, enjoyed its largest lead at 86-57 on a dunk by forward Harrison Barnes with 3:25 remaining in the third period.
The Pistons outscored the Warriors 24-19 in the final period to make the final score a little more respectable.
"We'll see what we can do to change some things up," Cheeks said of possible lineup changes for his last-place club. "We've got a couple of days to think about it."
Detroit returns to action Friday night in Sacramento.
Iguodala had eight points to go with a season-best-tying 11 assists. Guard Klay Thompson added 14 points, and center Jermaine O'Neal took advantage of a benches-clearing fourth quarter to record 17 points, his best total as a Warrior.
Golden State shot 60 percent for the game, its best single-game accuracy rate since March of 2011 and equal to the best mark in the league this season.
The Warriors' average margin of victory in their three home wins is 20 points. Golden State hosts the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.
Detroit center Andre Drummond, who had a 16-point, 16-rebound effort in Portland on Monday night, recorded another double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. The league leader in field-goal percentage (64.0) entering the game, Drummond hit eight of his 10 shots.
Power forward Greg Monroe had 15 points, backup guard Will Bynum 14 and rookie big forward Gigi Datome recorded a season-best with 10 points for Detroit. Point guard Brandon Jennings, coming off a 28-point performance in Portland, missed nine of his 14 shots, including all four of his 3-point attempts, and was held to 13 points.
NOTES: The Warriors have led all three home games by at least 27 points at one stage of the contest. ... Golden State played its first game without backup PG Toney Douglas, who earlier in the day was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left tibia. Douglas averaged 6.4 points and 1.6 assists in the Warriors' first seven games. He is expected to be out a minimum of two weeks. ... The Warriors have held the Pistons under 100 points in five consecutive matchups, the longest such streak since the Philadelphia-Fort Wayne days of the rivalry in 1956. ... The matchup of coaches Cheeks and Jackson pitted former NBA teammates. Cheeks and Jackson were backcourt mates for the New York Knicks in 1990-91, a season in which the club went 39-43 and was swept 3-0 by Chicago in the first round of the playoffs. ... Tuesday marked the third anniversary of the sale of the Warriors to a group headed by Joe Lacob and Peter Guber. Coincidentally, the first home game of the Lacob/Guber era was a 101-97 victory over the Pistons.
