© Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
That is about as well as this Warriors team can rightfully be expected to play. For Steve Kerr, it must have surely felt like a bit of a vindication as he leaned heavily on his most inexperienced players during key stretches against the NBA’s winningest team.
The result? Thanks to explosive games from Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, James Wiseman and Jordan Poole (yeah, Stephen Curry was good too, on his birthday), it was a 131-119 win, which sent the Utah Jazz (28-10) reeling to their fifth loss, half their season total, in nine games.
One of those Wiggins games
Every once in awhile, let’s call it once every eight games, Andrew Wiggins seems to remember that he can simply choose to be an All-NBA player. It’s been the gripe for his entire career; he’s too passive.
Sunday was a day when Wiggins decided to attack. And what happened? Surprise surprise, he gave the Jazz fits. He was active, aggressive and proactive in every aspect of the game. That meant attacking passing lanes on defense, driving to the hoop and taking his shot from deep without hesitation.
It even translated late, when the Warriors had the game won, but the Jazz had Stephen Curry trapped in the backcourt. Curry had to throw up a behind-the-back, full-court prayer of a pass, and Wiggins, looking awfully Brandon Aiyuk-like, hauled after it zealously, and rejected any glimmer of hope the Jazz had left, by securing possession.
It was almost certainly his best game of the season, especially considering the competition. He finished with 28 points on a stunningly efficient 12-of-16 shooting, 3-of-4 from three, with 3 rebounds, 3 steals and a pair of assists.
Kerr places faith in the Baby Dubs
One of the early notes of interest in this game was the lineup Steve Kerr chose to trot out in key moments in the second quarter and fourth quarter. As the Warriors led by more than 10 points in the second quarter, he tapped a young lineup. They held up.
And the start of the fourth quarter, Kerr turned back to them.
It was a lineup which featuring Nico Mannion, Jordan Poole, Juan Toscano-Anderson, James Wiseman and one of Kelly Oubre or Andrew Wiggins; he tapped Wiggins to start the fourth after letting Oubre ride with the unit in the first half.
What that lineup showed were plenty of head-scratching moments, but an explosiveness and optimism for the future that Kerr has no choice but to bet on. Nico Mannion looked like that facilitator and aggressive honey-badger type who could be the valuable backup point guard the Warriors need, and he found two options in Wiseman and Poole who were at their best.
Wiseman, though brutally out-rebounded by Rudy Gobert, who finished with a career-high 27 rebounds, was an efficient scoring option in the paint, as was Jordan Poole from outside. It was a two-punch threat that worked wonders for the Warriors in key moments.
Wiseman finished with 16 points (8-of-11), 4 rebounds and a block, while Poole had 18 points (6-of-11, 3-of-5 from three), along with 3 assists.
Curry hits 32 on his birthday (and Nico Mannion’s)
Well, he turned 33, so it’s a little infuriating that he didn’t nail one more free throw, but it was clearly a joyous birthday for Curry, who posted endearing videos of gifts from his family before the game and posed with his son Canon, afterwards.
The in-game gifts, though, were courtesy of Draymond Green, who put up an absolutely clinical, vintage game with an 11-point (5-of-10), 12-rebound, 12-assist and 4-steal triple-double.
Curry, at 33, looked his usually ridiculous self, making it all look awfully easy. He had 32 points (10-of-20, 6-of-9 on three, 6-of-7 at the line), 5 rebounds, 9 assists and a steal.
It’s also Nico Mannion’s birthday, who turned… 20. That’s a 13-year age gap between them, a supremely weird figure with Curry in his 12th year in the league.