Dub Hub: Steve Kerr and the Warriors are motivated to win the NBA Cup

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Wednesday, December 11th.

In today’s Dub Hub:

• Steve Kerr says the Warriors are “packed to go to Vegas” and want to win the NBA Cup.
• Bleacher Report lists Steph Curry as one of the most influential sports stars in the last 25 years.
• Bucks and Thunder advanced to the semifinals after Tuesday’s NBA Cup action.

The NBA Cup has reached its knockout stage, with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks already securing their spots in Saturday’s semifinals in Las Vegas. Now, it’s the Golden State Warriors’ turn as they face the Houston Rockets tonight. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has made it clear that his team is approaching this game with one goal in mind: winning the entire NBA Cup.

In just its second year, the NBA Cup has made strides in transforming midseason games into high-stakes matchups. Initially, motivating players and coaches for a new tournament within the regular season posed a challenge, but it’s becoming evident that the competitive fire has been lit.

While the game still counts towards their regular season record, expect the Warriors to come into Wednesday night’s matchup with extra motivation.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Wednesday, December 11th:

Warriors News:

Steve Kerr, Andrew Wiggins, and Kevon Looney ahead of Warrios-Rockets matchup | NBC Sports BA

Why Wiggins is key to Warriors’ continued ownage of Rockets | NBC Sports Bay Area

“They’re very active defensively,” Wiggins said. “A young team, they have a lot of guys that can get going. We’ve played them a couple times already, played them pretty well. We haven’t played them with a full squad this year yet, so it should be fun.”

His scoring also is just one part of his importance to the Warriors. As Wiggins said, the Rockets have multiple players who can heat up in a hurry – Jalen Green being one of them.

Thus far, Wiggins has given Green whiplash watching his shots clank, rarely getting in a groove and finding his stride offensively. With Wiggins as the primary defender guarding him, Green has scored a total of 21 points on the Warriors in two games, dropping seven in their first matchup and 14 in their second.

What the Warriors will do with their lineup in NBA Cup quarterfinal up in the air | San Francisco Chronicle

“We have a lot of variables that factor in (who starts),” Kerr added. “The guys have been great at embracing whatever we’re asking of them. Playing hard. Competing. I love this group. I love coaching these guys and we’ll just have to keep navigating everything and doing the best we can.”

Ranking the 25 Most Influential Sports Figures of the Last Quarter Century | Bleacher Report

2. Stephen Curry

You might love the NBA’s modern focus on three-point shooting. You might hate it, preferring the physical style of past years. The debate about whether it’s good for the sport does not have a perfect answer.

But we can thank Stephen Curry for that conversation.

His long-range prowess keyed the latest revolution in basketball. Curry’s ability to shoot deep—and I mean deep—three-pointers completely altered how spacing is viewed. Why would a player bother attempting shots from so far behind the arc? Because he can make it.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst says Jimmy Butler and LeBron James are on the Warriors’ radar

NBA News:

Thunder, Bucks advance to NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas: Takeaways | The Athletic

In Oklahoma City, all five starters for the Thunder scored 10-plus points, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game-high 39 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The Mavericks’ stars had quiet nights; Luka Dončić finished with 16 points and Kyrie Irving 17. Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall led Dallas in scoring with 19 each.

There was a moment midway through the fourth quarter when Dallas scored 12 consecutive points to cut it to eight, but OKC’s defense and role players finished the job.

The Thunder will face the winner of Wednesday night’s Houston Rockets–Golden State Warriors quarterfinal, which tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard practices for first time this season | ESPN

LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, sidelined all season because of inflammation in his right knee, returned to practice Tuesday, coach Ty Lue said. Leonard could return to game action within the next two weeks, barring any setbacks, sources told ESPN.

It was the first time Leonard, 33, had practiced with the team since last season. Leonard’s knee also caused him to bow out of the Paris Olympics in the summer after originally being selected to play for Team USA.

“He did offensive script, defensive work, and just no contact,” Lue said. “But he did it pretty much everything else.”

Jimmy Butler answers questions about his future with the Heat

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

How lineup changes and tactical adjustments helped the Warriors exact revenge on the Wolves

In addition to personnel combinations playing a role in the result being different this time around, the Warriors made it a point to switch tactics — by making it tough for the Wolves to not switch Rudy Gobert out on the perimeter against Curry-centered screening actions. Gobert had his way in the first contest by being his usual all-world rim protecting self, with the Warriors failing to budge him away from his comfort zone as a paint roamer. The simple workaround to that was by literally going around Gobert through involving him in the pick-and-roll and forcing him to step up against Curry around the screen. This drew Gobert away from the rim and opened opportunities for Curry to turn the corner, while also opening the roll with Gobert finding it difficult to cover both the ball and the roll

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