A day after suffering one of their worst losses of the season, the Golden State Warriors bounced back with one of their best wins of the year, destroying the Chicago Bulls from opening tip to final buzzer. The Dubs won all four quarters, including a 41-19 second frame, and went home with a 138-96 win … not bad for a road game against the top seed in the Eastern conference.
Something tells me my job tonight is going to be more fun than it was on Thursday, after Golden State suffered an embarrassing loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Now let’s get to it and grade all of the Warriors, weighting for our expectations of each player.
Otto Porter Jr.
19 minutes, 9 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals, 1 foul, 4-for-9 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, +24
Porter got the start in place of Draymond Green, and, uhh … are we sure it was Porter out there? Because 9 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals is about as Draymondian of a stat line as exists. The fact that Porter racked up those counting stats in under 20 minutes of action only makes it that much more impressive.
He just does a little bit of everything, which makes him a weapon when forced into the starting lineup, and a luxury when moved back to the bench.
Grade: A
Andrew Wiggins
28 minutes, 21 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 fouls, 8-for-11 shooting, 3-for-5 threes, 2-for-4 free throws, +18
This was Wiggins at his best. He took advantage of Steph Curry’s gravity, and found openings in the defense all night. He capitalized on open looks from distance, and attacked the rim when no one was home. And when the defense did give him attention, he whipped out a season high 6 assists, without a turnover.
Beautiful.
Grade: A+
Kevon Looney
24 minutes, 10 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 fouls, 4-for-5 shooting, 2-for-2 free throws, +16
Looney’s rebounding was a huge problem for Chicago all night long, especially since half of his dozen boards came on the offensive end of things. Admittedly Looney’s counterpart, Nikola Vučević, had a strong game as well, with an efficient 19 points and 14 rebounds, but hey … he’s an All-Star. Sometimes All-Stars do that.
All in all, just exceptional play from Looney, who remains incredibly under-appreciated.
Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.
Steph Curry
28 minutes, 19 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 7-for-15 shooting, 4-for-10 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, +24
It wasn’t exactly a vintage Curry performance, but it sure was nice to see him knock in a good percentage of his jumpers, compete with his cocky and playful swagger, and look fully in control of the game. That’s been absent a bit lately.
Grade: B+
Jordan Poole
29 minutes, 22 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 8-for-19 shooting, 5-for-9 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, +38
Just an exquisite return to the starting lineup for Poole. After Wiggins and Curry took over the second quarter to give the Dubs a massive lead, Poole played a huge role in keeping the lead laughable in the second half.
When his three ball is dropping, Poole is simply a dynamic player, capable of controlling the game with a beautiful in-and-out style.
Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Led the team in plus/minus.
Nemanja Bjelica
24 minutes, 6 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, 2 fouls, 3-for-5 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, +26
The total package from Bjelica, who attacked the glass relentlessly, kept the ball moving beautifully, and played the right positions on both ends of the court. On a day where Jonathan Kuminga made a case to start stealing Bjeli’s minutes, Bjelica also stated a pretty impressive case to keep them.
Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.
Jonathan Kuminga
26 minutes, 25 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 5 fouls, 10-for-12 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, 3-for-4 free throws, +22
And now we arrive at the star of the show. Something tells me there are a whole bunch more games like this in Kuminga’s future.
The rookie showed up and showed out, contributing to the monstrous halftime lead, and then absolutely taking over in the second half.
He displayed the handles to get past any defender, and the athleticism to finish at the rim in a variety of ways. He was graceful and smooth, but also forceful and aggressive. His jumper continues to look better every game and, with the exception of the handful of fouls, his defense not only looked passable, but like a weapon.
This wasn’t just a game that allowed us to dream about Kuminga’s future. It was a game that gave us permission to ogle at the present.
Grade: A++
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.
Andre Iguodala
11 minutes, 5 points, 3 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1-for-3 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, +12
Having 3 assists in 11 minutes is impressive. Having 5 stocks in 11 minutes is outstanding.
But Iguodala gets his stellar grade for one reason and one reason only: truly one of the greatest passes you will ever see.
Grade: A+
Juan Toscano-Anderson
14 minutes, 7 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 3-for-6 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, +8
It was a sign of just how well the Warriors played that JTA’s performance went entirely unnoticed (it was also mostly in garbage time). Toscano-Anderson played really well, but in a game of dominance, “really well” doesn’t always stand out.
Grade: B
Damion Lee
27 minutes, 11 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 4-for-8 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, +20
On any other night, this would have been a standout bench performance. Which means Lee should feel proud about it, and we should feel happy about it. It wasn’t of note in a 42-point win, but Lee did good things on the court.
Grade: B+
Chris Chiozza
12 minutes, 3 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 1-for-1 shooting, 1-for-1 threes, +2
For the second straight game, Chiozza got some extended run due to an outcome that was determined long before the fourth quarter started.
I’m guessing he enjoyed this one more than the Milwaukee one, though.
Grade: B
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.
Friday’s inactives: Draymond Green, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, Klay Thompson, Quinndary Weatherspoon, James Wiseman
