‘These dudes are unflappable right now’ — Fans react to Warriors win over Pistons

Some live reactions from a thrilling victory.

The Golden State Warriors kept the good times rolling on Saturday, kicking off a seven-game home-stand with an impressive and gutsy 115-110 win over a red-hot Detroit Pistons team. It’s been mostly wins for the Warriors lately, and the wins have been impressive, but a lot of them have been against lesser teams. So seeing them beat a team that’s firmly in the playoff standings — and had won 10 of their last 12 games entering Saturday — was a very encouraging thing.

But it wasn’t easy. It was a tense game from the opening tip until the final buzzer. The Warriors jumped out to a 9-0 lead that they immediately gave back, and that was their biggest lead of the night, while they never trailed by more than five. The teams traded leads a staggering 22 times, while also being tied on 22 different occasions. Talk about some close basketball!

With (formerly Oakland) A’s broadcaster Jenny Cavnar and Golden State Valkyries forward Monique Billings on the call for the annual Women’s Empowerment Month Game, Warriors fans were treated to some thrilling Saturday night drama. And a whole bunch of you were in the comment section of our game thread, reacting to all the action.

Here’s how the game went down, in your words.

Pre-game: “Better not over look the Pistons”

Detroit came in hot, having recently rattled off an eight-game win streak that concluded with wins over the LA Clippers and Boston Celtics. They’re a massive team, and have an All-Star guard in Cade Cunningham who can take over on a moment’s notice. Plus, they employ former Warriors Dennis Schröder and Lindy Waters III, who ended up in Detroit as part of the Jimmy Butler III trade.

First quarter: “Refs are doing too much”

The Warriors jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. Then the slugfest commenced, with the teams trading blows ... and while I meant that figuratively, the refs seemed to take it literally. It was a long first quarter that ended with a 22-20 lead and a whole lot of intensity.

Second quarter: “Like an old eastern conference slugfest”

Both teams finally found their offense in the second quarter, but it took a while. It was a grind-it-out affair, with Detroit and Golden State both playing very physically. The Warriors were getting beat up inside, but making up for it with energy, hustle, and heart.

Third quarter: “Who name their kid Buddy!”

It felt like a single-possession game for the entirety of the third quarter. And it almost was! For a 24-second stretch inside the final four minutes, the Pistons led 75-70 ... and that was the only time in the entire quarter where the teams were separated by more than one basket. As he has repeatedly done since the trade, Butler dominated the third quarter, keeping the team afloat even when Steph Curry went to the bench. Butler dropped in 15 points and two assists in the third, but Cunningham was even better, scoring 19 points on nearly perfect shooting, and making a late three to give Detroit an 87-84 lead going into the final frame.

Fourth quarter: “DRAAAAAAAYYYYYYY”

It was a thrilling fourth quarter, and Curry once again took over, scoring 13 points and netting a +10 in about eight-and-a-half minutes of action. But the biggest play came from an unlikely source. In the final minute, and trailing by one point, the Warriors had a chance for a two-for-one. Draymond Green fired a three — not the shot you draw up — and drained it, giving the Dubs a lead they wouldn’t give back.

Post-game: “They want this run badly”

The buzzer sounded, signaling a 115-110 win. It ensured that the Warriors stayed in sole possession of the sixth seed — a loss would have given them the same record as the Minnesota Timberwolves. It pushed their win streak to four games, and made them 11-1 in games that Butler plays in. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was a fantastic win.