We got a glimpse of how good the Golden State Warriors can be when their big guns are rolling.
Stephen Curry, Kelly ubray Jr. and Andre Wiggins combined for 70 points to close the gap on the Dubs, winning 113-109 and 113-109. Sacramento Kings. Curry went 13 out of six off the arc and finished with 29 points to lead all the scorers.
Ub Bray had 22, while Wiggins’ 19 helped Golden State to a 2-1 record.
At half-time the Dubs had just a three-point lead, but Curry and Ub Bray scored 12 straight points and tied Golden State at 13 for 13, and never backed down.
Here are four things that stood out from the Warriors’ victory:
No need to worry about Steve
Curry has acted in only five games in the last 18 months, but you won’t be able to tell based on his last two games. Steve made just two of his first 10 shots but connected with seven of his last 13 attempts to lead the Warriors. With Curry getting more space to work on the offensive end, Kerr’s system opened up more space for him to cut out and run. He is in great form and will be in the top five in the league throughout the season.
Wiggins’ preseason is his best game
No. 1 pick in 2014 NBA Draft Came out to play. Wiggins hit all his field-goal efforts in the first quarter and had 11 points in the first seven minutes. He was decisive with his outdoor shooting, hitting three-seven seven-pointers. Canadians will play a big part in how successful Golden State is this season. If he can be as consistently active as he was on both ends of the floor in this game, it will go a long way in helping the dubs get into the postseason.
Steve Kerr: “Andre was good to be an attacker … we need him to score.”
– The Golden State of the Mind (@ UnstoppableBaby) December 18, 2020
While Curry is resting, we get a glimpse of head coach Steve Kerr walking around
The Warriors were once again without Dremond Green and cheater James Wiesen for this game, and we know they will both play a lot of minutes this season. However, we got a glimpse of how hard Golden State struggled to score when Curry was on the bench in the first game against the Kings.
Kerr played staph for the entire first quarter, which is something new. Steve sat down in the first seven minutes of the second quarter, but we saw how he would hang up the lineup when he was twice on the MVP bench.
Aubrey checked out of the game less than four minutes into the first quarter and came back around the same time as Curry. I hope this will change once the weather starts on Tuesday. Wiggins started the second quarter with the bench boys, so Carr seems to prefer to keep him on the floor when Steve gets his break after the first 12 minutes.
Paint protection
Despite the win, the Warriors were knocked out 52-28 in the paint. Grime and Wiseman being on the floor will undoubtedly improve rim safety, but there are still some concerns. Defenders of the Golden State perimeter will have to do a better job on the second round. Sacramento’s big men got some easy buckets when their man would come to the rescue to help cut the drive on the Kings basket. D’Aron Fox was able to find his big ones for easy layouts or plays that resulted in free throws.
The Warriors’ wings have to come down to take that path and leave their men open across the arch. The Denver Nuggets They also beat Dubs 58-36 in the preseason opener.
It’s just a priority, and Kerr won’t let a lot of guys play once the games start counting, but it’s something to keep an eye on as the weather progresses.
On the regular season. Golden State will play its first real game on Tuesday when Warriors Kevin Durant and Brooklyn Nets. The good news is that Green and Wiseman should be good to go, meaning we’ll see what the team looks like with their full roster.
