What we learned as Wiggins shines in Warriors’ win vs. Wizards originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – On Monday, the Warriors lost to the eight-win Toronto Raptors. Five days later, they barely escaped the six-win Washington Wizards, winning 122-114 on Saturday night at Chase Center.
Steph Curry (26 points), Andrew Wiggins (31 points) and Dennis Schröder (20 points) combined to score 77 points, which amounted to 63.1 percent of the Warriors’ total. Saturday marked the second time all season the Warriors had three players score 20 or more points. The 20 points Schröder scored also were his highest total this season since joining the Warriors.
Moses Moody, Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney also were big contributors off the bench. Moody was a plus-12 with 13 points. Payton was a plus-11 with 10 points. And Looney, plus-13, tallied a 10-point, 13-rebound double-double.
Former Warriors guard Jordan Poole also had his old team on the wrong end of a Poole Party, scoring 38 points on 12-of-25 shooting and made eight of his 15 3-point attempts. Poole’s 38 points were his second-most this season, and five away from his career high of 43.
As the Warriors dominated in the paint, the Wizards had their number from long distance. The Warriors outscored the Wizards by 34 points in the paint, 58-24, but the Wizards had a 24-point advantage beyond the arc, draining a franchise-record 22 threes compared to 14 for the home team.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors coming back home and grinding out a win.
Draymond Injury Concerns
Any drama between Poole and Draymond Green was over before it could even begin. Three minutes into the game, Poole hit a 3-pointer that prompted a timeout from Warriors coach Steve Kerr. But during the timeout, Green was seen limping down the Warriors’ locker room.
Minutes later, Green was ruled out for the rest of the night because of left calf tightness, an issue that has hampered him this season. He had missed the Warriors’ previous three games to end their four-game road trip because of an illness and back injury. About a month and a half ago, however, Green missed two consecutive games because of a left calf injury and admitted on his podcast that it’s something that could come back and linger.
Gui Santos became Kerr’s first player off the bench because of Green’s injury. Kerr said pregame that Santos would receive more playing time after giving the Warriors a spark of energy on the road. He played five-plus minutes in the first quarter Saturday night and grabbed two offensive rebounds, though his inexperience was shown in two avoidable fouls.
Santos started the second half but only played eight minutes all game. Starting Monday against the Boston Celtics, the Warriors have a four-game week, and there’s no telling how many, if any, Green will be able to play.
Poole Party
Between fans, former teammates and even in-arena staff, it was all love for Poole at his former place of work before tipoff. Once the game began, Poole reminded everyone what the Warriors are missing.
He scored the Wizards’ first five points of the game and had eight after the first quarter. The second quarter is when he caught fire. In just under nine minutes, Poole scored 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting, with all four made shots coming behind the 3-point line.
Poole by halftime was up to 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting and went 5 of 8 on threes. Meanwhile, Curry and Schröder, the Warriors’ starting backcourt, had combined to score 21 points.
Through three quarters, Poole was up to 31 points, 11 off his season high for an entire game. When he drained a 3-pointer on good friend Payton, Poole got right in his grill. The trash talking continued in front of the Warriors’ bench during free throws, too.
Another seven points in the fourth quarter gave Poole 38 points against his old Golden State teammates.
Third-Quarter Special
After scoring 25 points in the first quarter and 28 in the second, the Warriors finally broke through in the third for 36 points while holding the Wizards to 27.
Schröder and Wiggins were the main reasons why the Warriors found their offensive rhythm. Curry only scored four points in the frame as he was shaking his injured right thumb and continuously shaking his right hand. The Warriors needed others to step up, and Schröder and Wiggins certainly did.
Each scored 10 points, combining for more than half of the Warriors’ points in the third quarter. Schröder did so by living in front of the 3-point line. He hit jumpers and two shots within eight feet of the basket, going a perfect 4 of 4 from the field. Wiggins scored his 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting and 2 of 4 on threes, making both of his threes from the right corner.
The Warriors improved to 20-4 when holding a lead going into the fourth quarter, and the Wizards now are 0-32 this season when trailing through three quarters.
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