What we learned as Wiggins shines in Warriors’ win over Wizards originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
BOX score
SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors lost to the eight-win Toronto Raptors on Monday. Five days later, they narrowly 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 for 77 points, accounting for 63.1 percent of the Warriors’ total points. On Saturday, the Warriors had three players score 20 or more points for the second time this season. The 20 points Schröder scored were also his highest point total this season since joining the Warriors.
Moses Moody, Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney also made big contributions off the bench. Moody was a plus-12 with 13 points. Payton was a plus-11 with 10 points. And Looney, plus-13, posted a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
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 making eight of his 15 3-point attempts. Poole’s 38 points were his second-best of the season and five shy of his career-high of 43.
While the Warriors dominated in the field, the Wizards had their number one from distance. The Warriors outscored the Wizards by 34 points in the game, 58-24, but the Wizards held a 24-point lead beyond the arc and made a franchise-record 22 three-pointers, compared to 14 for the home team.
Here are three takeaways from how the Warriors returned home and got 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 three-pointer that prompted Warriors coach Steve Kerr to call a timeout. But during the timeout, Green was seen hobbling around the Warriors’ locker room.
Minutes later, Green was ruled out for the rest of the evening after suffering a strain in his left calf, an issue that has hampered him this season. He had missed the Warriors’ final three games due to illness and a back injury to complete their four-game road trip. However, about a month and a half ago, Green missed two straight games with a left calf injury and admitted on his podcast that it’s something that could come back and linger.
Gui Santos was Kerr’s first player off the bench due to Green’s injury. Kerr said before the game that Santos would receive more playing time after giving the Warriors a spark of energy on the road. He played more than five minutes in the first quarter Saturday night and grabbed two offensive rebounds, but his inexperience showed in two avoidable fouls.
Santos started the second half but only played eight minutes in the entire 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
There was love among fans, former teammates and even staff at the arena ahead of the announcement for Poole at his former workplace. As the game began, Poole reminded everyone what the Warriors are missing.
He scored the first five points of the game for the Wizards and had eight after the first quarter. He caught fire in the second quarter. In just under nine minutes, Poole scored 15 points on 4 of 7 shooting, with all four shots coming from behind the 3-point line.
At halftime, Poole was up to 23 points on 7 of 13 shooting and was 5 of 8 on threes. Meanwhile, Curry and Schröder, the Warriors’ starting player, combined for 21 points.
Through three quarters, Poole was up to 31 points, 11 shy of his season high for a full game. When he fired a 3-pointer against his good friend Payton, Poole immediately faltered. Even during free throws, the trash talking continued in front of the Warriors bench.
Another seven points in the fourth quarter gave Poole 38 points against his old Golden State teammates.
Third quarter special offer
After scoring 25 points in the first quarter and 28 in the second, the Warriors finally broke through with 36 points in the third quarter, holding the Wizards to 27.
Schröder and Wiggins were the main reasons the Warriors found their offensive rhythm. Curry scored just four points in the frame as he struggled with his injured right thumb and constantly shook his right hand. The Warriors needed others to step up, and Schröder and Wiggins certainly did that.
Each scored 10 points, which combined accounted for more than half of the Warriors’ third-quarter points. Schröder did this 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 three-pointers, with both three-pointers coming from the right corner.
The Warriors improved to 20-4 when they held a lead early in the fourth quarter, and the Wizards are now 0-32 when trailing through three quarters this season.
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