It’s over: Bucks snap Warriors’ 28-game win streak

The Golden State Warriors suffered their first defeat of the season with a shocking 108-95 loss to the last-place Milwaukee Bucks, halting their season-opening win streak at 24 games. “That’s why it is so hard to do what these guys have done so far”. Tonight it caught up to us.

The Warriors entered the night 24-0, hoping to become the first team in history to sweep a seven-game road trip.

The Warriors, winning their 28th straight regular season game dating back to last season, trailed by five with 2:07 left in regulation, fought back to tie, survived a sloppy first overtime and then pulled out the win. As you may have heard by now, it was also the Milwaukee Bucks that ended the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers’ 33-game win streak, which still stands as the longest streak in National Basketball Association history.

What’s the mood in the Warriors’ locker room? The NBA is going to hate itself if the Warriors lose because of the back-to-back game.

“Well, we knew the streak had to end at some point”, the Warriors posted on their Twitter account. This was no squeaker at the buzzer, but a Bucks runaway at the end. “We wanted every night to put another notch in belt of that streak”.

On a podcast with USA Today’s Sam Amick, Warriors center Andrew Bogut confirmed that the Warriors are quite aware of their critics, and they find motivation in criticism.

And, hey, in the 2012-13 season, the Bucks (thanks to Monta Ellis!) beat the Warriors both times the teams played, by an average of 8.5 points (and Curry played in each game!).

Steph Curry made 10 of his 21 shots to finish with 28 points, but was 2-for-8 from distance while shooting guard Klay Thompson, back after a one-game absence due to a sore ankle, went 4 of 14 from the field and 2-for-7 on 3-point attempts to finish with 12 points. Not too many teams have been able to take them into overtime this season. So often when Golden State goes to its deadly smaller lineup – the way it did in bumping off Cleveland in the Finals – opponents feel obliged to match lest they get run-and-gunned out of the gym.

Bucks coach Jason Kidd stuck with the man nicknamed “Moose” and, this time, kept the advantage.

Forward Draymond Green said he feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders now that the streak is over. Curry scored 28 with seven rebounds and five assists but backcourt mate Klay Thompson was off after missing Friday’s double-overtime game in Boston with a sprained ankle. “We got some stops”, Curry said.

Still just 10-14, the Bucks still have a lot of work in front of them if they want a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Milwaukee fans, many of whom were clad in green “24-1” shirts, earned the right to celebrate tonight.

From an individual standpoint, Curry was his usual outstanding self, dropping 38 points along with 11 rebounds and eight assists, coming just shy of a triple-double.

Walton said his team was slow on defensive rotations, and that 16 turnovers were costly.