Getty Moses Moody of the Golden State Warriors and Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Golden State Warriors picked up what seemed like an unlikely win on Friday night, earning a big-time victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers by a score of 120-114. Cleveland was missing Donovan Mitchell, but the Warriors were without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins.
With those four sidelined, it was always going to be an uphill battle for Golden State, but they climbed the mountain and picked up a win. After the contest, Darius Garland was asked if he believes the Cavaliers overlooked the short-handed Warriors. He said they didn’t and that the guys on the team are in the NBA for a reason.
“I don’t think we overlooked them,” Garland stated via the Cavaliers’ official YouTube channel. “They’re in the league for a reason. So, I don’t think they were overlooked. Like I said before, they got it going in the first quarter. When you get going in the first, you get confidence, so that leads throughout the entire game. And that’s what it was.”
The Cavaliers point guard was thrust into a larger role with Mitchell out, and he scored a bunch, but his efficiency wasn’t ideal. Garland ended the game with 31 points, two rebounds, nine assists, and two steals on 10-of-25 shooting from the field and 3-of-11 shooting from behind the three-point line.
For the Warriors, Jordan Poole and two-way guard Ty Jerome, both of whom got the start in the absence of Curry and Thompson. Poole dropped 31 points to go along with three rebounds and two assists on 10-of-23 shooting from the floor and 5-of-12 shooting from distance.
Meanwhile, Jerome finished with a season-high 22 points. He paired that scoring with a single rebound and eight assists, which also marked a season-high in dimes. The 25-year-old guard shot 9-of-13 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the three-point arc.
Steve Kerr Discusses Altercation With Jordan Poole
While Golden State was able to earn the win, the game didn’t come without its fair share of drama. With seven seconds remaining in the third quarter, Poole was called for an offensive foul before the ball was inbounded and proceeded to argue with the referees, earning himself a delay of game penalty, which allowed the Cavaliers to shoot a technical foul.
Head coach Steve Kerr was not happy and could be seen on the sidelines telling Poole to “lock the f*** in.” After the game, he broke down the incident, admitting that Poole played well as a whole, but in that moment, he just “snapped.”
“I’m going to stay on Jordan,” he said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s continuing to grow and he’s getting better. I think the last two games, he was fantastic in terms of staying off the referees. He got the offensive foul and then held the ball as he talked to the ref, and that was a delay of game. So I’m trying to get Jordan to the point where he understands every play counts and every moment counts. So, every once in a while, I snap and I snapped in that moment and he looked at me like I was nuts. But it’s all part of it. I love Jordan and I love the way he’s playing and he was incredible tonight.”
Stephen Curry Sounds Off on Kerr & Poole Altercation
In addition, Curry had some thoughts on the altercation. He praised Kerr’s coaching habits and Poole’s response.
“Hey for all the kids watching this clip…Coach Kerr coaching like he should,” Curry commented on a post by House of Highlights, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “JP taking the energy the right way. Both of them move on to try and win the game!!! @houseofhighlights Make sure you show how @jordan_poole bounced back after this.”
