The Warriors didn’t have Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins or Draymond Green, but they still found themselves tied with the Jazz in Utah as the clock ticked under a minute.
Utah had separated in the third quarter, building a 12-point lead. But Jonathan Kuminga erupted in the fourth and Moses Moody hit two timely 3s — big moments for the Warrior youngsters.
Then a stumbling Jordan Poole, who had powered Golden State’s offense all night, got his shoulders past Kelly Olynyk and somehow found Kuminga cutting to the rim for a dunk.
Then Kuminga bottled up Jordan Clarkson one-on-one, swatting his attempt for a defensive stop. A frustrated Clarkson looked ready to square up after fouling Kuminga. After the scuffle, the Warriors should have closed out the Jazz.
But Klay Thompson coughed up a turnover. The Warriors bungled a defensive possession, allowing an easy 3. Then Poole, with the Warriors up one, got stripped off the inbound, leading to a Simone Fontecchio game-winning dunk with 1.4 seconds left.
Even with Kuminga’s season-high 25 points, even with Poole’s game-high 36 points, the Warriors (13-13) found a new way to lose. Utah scored five points in the last 13.3 seconds to stun the Warriors, 124-123.
Golden State is now 2-11 away from the Chase Center.
Here are three takeaways from Golden State’s head-scratching loss.
Poole driving the car
Every time Jordan Poole starts serves as a reminder why it was a no-brainer for Golden State to give him the four-year, $123 million extension.
In games Poole started this year before Wednesday, he put up point totals of 20, 21, 23, 26, 30 and 36.
Then against the Jazz, Poole provided everything GSW needed. He dropped 13 of the Warriors’ 35 first-quarter points, establishing a rhythm. He stayed efficient and got to the line for 12 free throws.
When he turns on the jets, it seems like Poole can get by just about anyone off the dribble. That speed just makes his already advanced skill so lethal.
In the fourth quarter, after checking back in for winning time, Poole instantly sank a contested 3 off the dribble and a one-legged floater from the foul line to bring GSW within two.
The Warriors still aren’t ready to turn the team over to the next generation. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are still too good for that (especially Curry). But as they age, having a player like Poole, who can single-handedly engine an offense, is a major luxury. It allows the team to feel better about resting the aging stars or reduce their minutes when possible.
Poole finished with a game-high 36 points on 10-for-23 shooting. His only fault was the biggest of the game: the turnover as the game slipped out of GSW’s hands.
Wiseman Watch
After spending three weeks in the G-League, James Wiseman checked back into an NBA game to start the second quarter.
As with much of the James Wiseman Experience, there were encouraging and discouraging moments. That’s natural for any player. But too often for Wiseman, the pendulum has swung too far the wrong way.
He smoked a dunk that was tightly contested by rookie Walker Kessler. He was out of position defensively, allowing Jordan Clarkson to score inside easily. He didn’t play active enough on one possession as the anchor of GSW’s zone. He didn’t block out on one play, letting Kelly Olynyk sneak in for an offensive board.
But Wiseman also set a nice ball screen for Klay Thompson that led to a 3, ran the floor well and got to the free throw line.
The Warriors got outscored by three with Wiseman on the court in that second-quarter stretch. It’s a miniscule sample, but it wasn’t an uninhibited disaster — like so many Wiseman minutes have been this year. Even so, the minutes didn’t earn him another real opportunity in the second half, even as Walker Kessler started to own the glass.
Wiseman’s final line: Five minutes, three points, two rebounds.
Wiseman probably won’t stick around for much longer.
“We’re just kind of taking it a day at a time depending on who’s healthy, how everything looks,” Steve Kerr said pregame. “The one thing I know for sure is we need him to play. So if everyone’s healthy and we feel like we’re not going to play him much in a game, we’d rather have him in Santa Cruz playing 35 minutes.”
Monitoring Wiggins’ injury
Wiggins, Green and Curry each sat out Wednesday’s contest. Wiggins’ abductor strain, though, appears more serious than the minor injuries Green and Curry are working through.
Wiggins missed Golden State’s Sunday game against Indiana and will also miss Golden State’s upcoming game against Boston, Kerr told reporters pregame. That will leave the Warriors without their best perimeter defender to handle Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Saturday’s NBA Finals rematch.
Especially with the way Kuminga played Wednesday, he should get a ton of run against the Celtics.
Wiggins has earned a reputation for being durable. He played 73 games last year and laced up for all 82 in three of his first four seasons. Kerr said he’ll be re-evaluated ahead of the team’s road trip next week.
Without Wiggins, Curry and Green, the Warriors started Poole, Thompson, Looney — the locks — JaMychal Green and Ty Jerome.
Jerome’s selection was particularly interesting given his place in the rotation. Donte DiVincenzo, Kuminga and Moses Moody were more likely choices on paper. But the Warriors clearly wanted to get as much shooting and ball-handling into the lineup to supplant Thompson and Poole.