Takeaways from Golden State’s win over Chicago
As the buzzer sounded Sunday night, Damion Lee’s Warriors teammates rushed the court and hugged the 28- yearold guard who has come to represent the young, new- look supporting cast that surrounds Steph Curry.
Lee’s 3- pointer with 1.7 seconds left gave the Warriors ( 12) their first victory of the season, 129- 128 over the Chicago Bulls ( 0- 3).
The final play was drawn up for Curry — who scored 13 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter — but the Bulls keyed in on the two- time MVP and didn’t allow him to receive the inbound. Instead it was Lee, his brotherinlaw in his second season as a full- time member of the Warriors, who stepped up in the game’s most important moment.
The Warriors entered the game reeling from two blowout losses, news that backup center Marquese Chriss suffered a broken leg and without forward Draymond Green, who has yet to play this season with a foot injury. Had Golden State lost, frustrations may have boiled over. Instead, the win called for a celebration.
“What a moment for D- Lee,” Kerr said. “He’ll remember that forever.”
Added Curry: “It was a huge, big- time play and we needed it.”
Here are five takeaways from the Warriors much- needed win.
Andrew Wiggins finds his groove: The Warriors eclipsed 100 points for the first time this season. That’s because, after the Christmas Day loss to Milwaukee, Kerr tweaked the offense. They will still take a ton of 3- pointers ( 18- of- 47 tonight), but those shots will come on more drive- and- kick actions. No
player benefited more from the change than Wiggins.
Coming off two disappointing games, Wiggins in 36 minutes expertly facilitated offense and made good shot choices on his way to finishing with 19 points on 6- of- 15 shooting, nine rebounds, four assists and zero turnovers. This is the Wiggins the Warriors need.
Most impressive was his usage of the high screen. On two possessions midway through the third quarter, Wiggins used a screen set by rookie center James Wiseman to get downhill, draw the defense into the paint and kick out to an open shooter in the corner. The first was to Eric Paschall, and the second was to Curry.
“It’s huge,” Lee said of Wiggins creating offense. “Every time Wiggs drives, he’s smart enough and capable enough, whether it’s to get to the rim or find the open guy and kick out. And he’s honestly one of the best athletes I think I’ve ever played with.”
If they continue to improve on these drive- andkick principles, this game may prove to be an inflection point for the season. “We’re still trying to find that second level of offense where you get the ball really moving,” Curry said.
Fallout of Marquese Chriss’ injury: On Sunday, the Warriors had to play without Chriss, who broke his leg in a scrimmage Saturday and will miss a significant portion of the season. Chriss had been the Warriors’ best backup center, and without him they had to adjust how they approached the position. Wiseman started and played 23 minutes, and Kevon Looney pitched in 19.
The biggest adjustment was the use of Paschall as a small- ball center. Paschall played his best game of the season in the role, finishing with 15 points on 4- of- 8 shooting, two rebounds, two assists and two steals. At times, he looked like the player from his rookie season as he drove shoulders first to the rim and drew fouls ( 6- of- 7 from the freethrow line). When Green returns, he’ll likely take most of those minutes, but this may be a way to leverage Paschall’s strengths going forward.
Defense remains a concern: Yes, the Warriors got a much- needed win, but it was a nail- biter against a winless team that required coming back from a 10- point deficit.
In particular, Golden State’s defense against the pick- and- roll, at the point of attack and in transition needs to improve. Zach LaVine used high screens to get to the rim and score 33 points on 23 shots; Wendall Carter Jr. bullied the Warriors for 22 points and 13 rebounds; Lauri Markannen scored 23 points and Coby White added 20.
Here, LaVine blows by Wiggins and gets Wiseman off balance for an easy layup.
On the go- ahead 2- pointer before Lee’s game- winner, LaVine takes Kelly Oubre Jr. ( who had four steals tonight) and Juan Toscano-Anderson off the dribble. The Warriors need to be able to defend these actions with two players.
“We talked about being a top- 10 defense, and I think we’re far from it right now,” Curry said. “But our energy is in the right direction, so that’ll allow us to make the adjustments. We need to watch film and get better, break down the simple stuff that you can take for granted over the last five years, that guys know where to be and timing and all that. It’s going to happen.”
Curry joins elite company: A day after he made 105 straight 3- pointers in practice, Curry snapped out of his season- opening scoring slump by making five of his 15 3- point attempts and passed a pair of historical benchmarks.
With his 3- pointer made with a minute left in the first quarter, Curry became just the third player in NBA history to make at least 2,500 3- pointers in their career — joining Ray Allen and Reggie Miller. Curry needs 56 more to catch Miller ( 2,560) and has a long way to go before tying Allen ( 2,973).
Also, Curry’s career- best streak of 61 consecutive made free throws is an alltime Warriors best, breaking Rick Barry’s mark of 60 straight.