New bench look Paul spurs Warriors past the Wizards

Late in the first half, Brandin Podziemski intercepted a pass and kept it from going out of bounds by tip-toeing the sideline in front of the scorer’s table. Gary Payton II collected the rookie’s save and found Jonathan Kuminga with a behind-the-back pass for a twohanded dunk.

At the moment, Podziemski’s pick was Golden State’s seventh steal. They capitalized on the Wizards’ 12th turnover. And Steph Curry wasn’t involved in any of it.

Curry had his third straight quiet game, but the Warriors’ bench picked up the slack for him. Golden State had been excited about the highly anticipated bench unit led by future Hall of Famers Chris Paul and Klay Thompson, and their first taste of it was sweet.

In his first game since fracturing his hand on Jan. 5, Paul (9 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals) was a +17 in 22 minutes. Thompson logged 25 points in 27 minutes for his third high-impact game off the bench. Golden State’s bench scored 59 points, overcoming a 6-for-21 shooting night and scoreless first half from Curry.

“I couldn’t think of a better backcourt coming off the bench than me and Chris,” Thompson said on the NBC Sports broadcast postgame.

To open their four-game east coast trip, the Warriors (3037) handled the cellar-dwelling Wizards, 123-112. They forced 21 turnovers and broke the game open by winning the third quarter by 21.

Jordan Poole, one of Curry’s running mates in the Warriors’ 2022 title campaign, played his second game against his former team. He came off the bench for the fourth straight game, having been relegated from Washington’s starting lineup amid a disastrous first season as a Wizard.

Poole looked determined initially, draining a 3 off the dribble over Steph Curry right

Jocelyn Gomez had a single.

The JV game went to Edison, 11-8. Tokay (2-0) was scheduled to host Ripon on Wednesday, and will play at FranklinStockton today.

Varsity: Lodi 4, Franklin-Elk Grove 3

The Flames scored in the fifth inning to break a tie and held on for the win on Tuesday, with pitcher Ashlyn Jubrey earning the win on two hits and four strikeouts in five innings of work.

At the plate, Alyssa Noriega went 2-for-3 with a double and a pair of RBIs, Allyson Frank went 2-for-3 with a double, and Jubrey, Kiki Mazza, Holly Reich, Hannah Escalante and Abby Schweigert each singled.

The JV game went to Franklin, 9-1. The Flames (2-0) were scheduled to play at Elk Grove on Wednesday.

Varsity: Manteca 10, Liberty Ranch 5

The Hawks dropped to 1-2 with Tuesday’s loss, which saw the Buffalos score six runs across the last two innings.

Carlie Perez went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, Natalie Vigil and Shelby Duarte each went 2-for-3, and Riley Sickels, Gracyn Graviette, Lauren Quinn, Ysabella Granata and Khali Barrantes each singled.

Liberty Ranch will play at Elk Grove today.

Varsity: Sonora 12, Galt 0

The Warriors were no-hit in their opener on Tuesday, a game that ended after five innings for the 10-run rule. Galt will be back in action at FranklinStockton on March 5.

Varsity boys: Tokay 3, Franklin-Stockton 2

The Tigers lost the first two sets, then won narrow victories in the final three to come away with a 19-25, 17-25, 26-24, 25-23, 15-12 victory. Franklin won the JV game 25-12, 28-26.

Tokay (2-4) was scheduled to play at Hollister on Wednesday, then will host McNair on Friday.

Varsity boys: Manteca 3, Lodi 0

The Flames were swept 24-5, 25-13, 25-20 on Tuesday to fall to 2-4. Lodi is next in action on March 5 at Kimball.