Road Warriors? Early success away from Chase Center good sign for Dubs

Road Warriors? Early success away from Chase Center good sign for Dubs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Two seasons ago, the Warriors had one of the worst road records in the NBA yet still reached the Western Conference semifinals. Now that they’re proving to be one of the best road teams in the league this season, there’s a legitimate reason to believe they can go even further.

Golden State’s 118-112 win over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Wednesday was the Warriors’ third consecutive victory on this pivotal road trip that will conclude with trips to Cleveland and Oklahoma City.

“This was our test right here, to see where we [are] at,” Gary Payton II said on NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Warriors Postgame Live” show. “We knew that they were going to bring out our best game, so we had to come out here and show what we can do.”

It indeed was a good litmus test for the Warriors, by far their toughest of the 2024-25 NBA season. That Golden State won as handily as it did while playing away from Chase Center is another encouraging sign and something that the Warriors are getting pretty good at.

This is the first time that the Warriors have won their first five road games since they won 14 straight to open the 2015-16 season. That year, Golden State went on to set an NBA record with 73 regular-season victories.

“We’re capable of beating anybody,” Stephen Curry said. “It’s hard. You got to embrace the challenge, but this is a different year. We’re trying to take baby steps and develop an identity.”

The Warriors have won seven consecutive regular-season games on the road dating to last season, although the 2023-24 campaign did end with a loss to the Sacramento Kings in the play-in tournament at Golden 1 Center.

Coach Steve Kerr’s squad actually has won 22 of its previous 26 road games, something the Warriors hadn’t done since the 2017-18 season.

“Obviously Boston was without Jaylen Brown and [Kristaps] Porzingis, so this was not their best version of their team but they’re still damn good,” Kerr said. “It was a hell of a win in a tough environment.”

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