Well, that’s going to hurt for a while. Hope it is Golden State Warriors can bounce against Denver Nuggets Thursday evening, because Wednesday’s game is against Minnesota Timberwolves stings
The Dubs played very well for three quarters, and took a 14-point lead early in the fourth quarter. They played one of the hottest teams in the league, on the road, they seemed to be in control. And then their offense became more sloppy than sloppy, their defense forgot how to contain former teammate D’Angelo Russell, and the game went to overtime. There, Russell quickly missed, giving the Warriors a distinct advantage.
They blew that feature, and Lost 119-114.
Now let’s rate the players. As always, the scores are based on my expectations of each player, with the “B” representing that player’s average play.
Note: The true shooting percentage (TS) is a measure of scoring efficiency that accounts for threes and free throws. Going into Wednesday’s games, the league’s average PPS is 57.9%.
Draymond Green
39 minutes, 10 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 5 turnovers, 3 fouls, 5-for-10 shooting, 0-for-3 three-pointers, 50.0% TS, -6
Something very strange happened in this game: Green and Steve Curry weren’t on the same page. They’ve had multiple plays where they’ve been on completely different pages, and since their relationship is usually Green passing to Curry, this led to a lot of turn-ons for Dray.
I’m willing to give him a slight pass for a few twists, because their breakup felt more like Carrie doing more than Dray. There were a few times where Green passed the ball to a place he expected Curry to go, and Curry never went there.
It was strange to see him.
Either way, it was a below-average game on offense for Dray, but I still think he’s one of the team’s best players. They played some solid defense on the road, which was on top, and bounced like it was going out of style.
b grade
Post-game reward: He led the team in rebounding.
Andrew Wiggins
35 minutes, 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 7-for-13 shooting, 1-for-4 three-pointers, 1-for-2 free throws, 57.6% TS, -8
Offensively, it was a step in the right direction for Wiggins, though he hasn’t scored a game with above-average league efficiency since his stellar performance against Houston Rockets on December 3, when he suffered an adductor muscle injury.
Wiggins in particular wasn’t on the field in the closing minutes of regulation…at least not until inside the final minute. It looks healthier and sportier, but it doesn’t make much of an impact.
Props to him for seven rebounds. He has not had more than five boards in his last 12 games.
Grade B-
Steve Curry
43 minutes, 29 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 turnovers, 5 fouls, 8-for-21 shooting, 5-for-12 triples, 8-for-9 free throws, 58.1% TS, -5
For most gamers, this will be one of their best games of the year. But as for Carrie, we were left feeling very disappointed. It was dynamic early on, with circus shots, aggression, and threes that left your jaw on the floor.
But as the game went on, he became more careless and careless. He misconnected with Green on multiple occasions, had some unexplained turnovers late on, and took a bad shot to try to win the game at the end of regulation. As the offense got underway, his defense struggled as he began to reach.
He seemed unfazed. I’ll be curious to see if Kerr gives him Thursday’s game. Some relief can do him good…but then again, it can get back on the horse and destroy everyone else too.
Grade: c
Post-game reward: He led the team in points.
Clay Thompson
40 minutes, 14 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 3-for-13 shooting, 2-for-7 three-pointers, 6-for-6 free throws, 44.8% TS, +2
Quite a tough game from Klay, though I do want to point out how far he’s come on the glass lately. He didn’t have any kind of rhythm in this game, though he did a good job of getting to the free throw line.
Grade: D+
Jordan Paul
32 minutes, 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 4-for-13 shooting, 1-for-5 three-pointers, 9-for-10 free throws, 51.7% TS, -9
Paul’s energy was huge in this game. He had a few key plays of offensive aggression that served as a spark. He flew to the fairway for rebounds and to keep balls alive, and was an aggressive passer. I thought his defense was very strong.
His selection and shot weren’t very good, unfortunately. But I loved the rest of his game.
Grade B-
Post-game reward: Tie with the team lead in assists, the worst plus / minus for the team.
Jonathan Cuminga
15 minutes, 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 4-on-8 shooting, 1-on-2, free throws 1-on-2, 56.3% TS, -4
Cumminga’s been really having a problem lately… he’s had 29 of them in his last seven matches. He brought a good energy into this game, but I thought it was a little out of control. He’s still head and shoulders higher than he was earlier in the season, but he hasn’t made much of an impact this season.
Grade B-
Kevon Looney
28 minutes, 10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 4 fouls, 4-for-5 shooting, 2-for-2 free throws, 85.0% TS, +12
Looney may have moved to the bench, but it did nothing to lessen his impact on the game. With Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns sidelined, Lonnie absolutely eats into this game, at every stage. As a result, he was on the field as part of the closing squad, which was great to see.
Grade: a
Post-game reward: He led the team in plus / minus.
Anthony Lamb
7 minutes, 0 points, 1 assist, 1 foul, 0-for-1 shooting, 0-for-1 triple, 0.0% TS, 0 plus/minus
Lamb is very nearing the end of his two-legged days…but it also looks like he’s going to be phasing out the rotation a bit. His presence was really diminishing. At some point, the Warriors need to either bump them up, or incorporate other players into the rotation, because it’s too early in the season for few players to play.
In any event, Lamb seemed lost in his limited minutes.
Grade: C-
Donte Divincenzo
25 minutes, 7 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 3-for-7 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 50.0% TS, -7
DDV was very powerful, though not amazing, at almost any point in the game. He’s a great player off the bench, looks amazing when the Warriors play well, and uninspiring when they don’t.
b grade
Post-game reward: Tied to lead the team in assists.
DNPs on Wednesday: Patrick Baldwin Jr., Jamichal Green, Moses Moody, James Wiseman
idle on wednesday: Andre Iguodala, T Jerome, Ryan Rollins