Warriors discovering ball-movement groove, Steph believes

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The Warriors' highest-scoring game of the season coincided with one of their best passing performances.

Golden State racked up 37 assists -- the second-most in a game this season -- in Thursday night's 147-116 thrashing of the Dallas Mavericks. The Warriors' 10 turnovers also matched their fewest through 22 games.

Nights with 35-plus assists were commonplace during the Warriors' dynastic run to five consecutive NBA Finals appearances and three titles last decade. Golden State recorded 35 or more assists in 69 games during those five seasons.

The Warriors' passing hasn't been as nice over the last two, as Thursday was just the fifth occasion they've reached or crossed said threshold during that time. Yet two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry believes Golden State is slowly but surely getting back to its best when it comes to ball movement.

"It's a work in progress 'cause it's reads and it's timing ... and with no training camp and a quick turnaround, we didn't have a lot of reps," Curry told TNT broadcasters Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith on Thursday after the Warriors' win.

"We talk about it all the time, and it's a great way to play, obviously, in terms of getting everybody involved. I can demand some attention whether I have the ball in my hands or not, and get other guys open shots."

The Warriors shot a season-best 57.3 percent from the field and 51.2 percent from behind the 3-point line. With centers James Wiseman and Kevon Looney out, coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors embraced small ball, throwing it back to the days of Don Nelson in the process.

Seven of nine Warriors scored in double figures, and seven of nine recorded at least two assists. Draymond Green led Golden State with 15 dimes, while Steph Curry dished out six for the fourth time in his last five games.

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For all of the concerns about the Warriors' offense acclimating new, young pieces in the absence of Klay Thompson, Golden State ended Thursday averaging the fourth-most assists per game (27.3) and the fifth-best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.93) in the NBA.

Twenty-two games into the season, the Warriors' comfort running Kerr's offense is starting to show.

"We gotta just stick with it," Curry continued. "It's a long season and sometimes it hasn't been pretty this year, and tonight it worked."

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