Getty/Ronald Cortes Jordan Poole of the Golden State Warriors celebrates with Steph Curry late in the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs.
On the second night of a back-to-back, the Golden State Warriors do what championship teams tend to do: find ways to squeak out wins no matter the circumstance.
Operating with a skeleton crew against the San Antonio Spurs, the Warriors erased a 17-point deficit and left the Lone Star State with a 124-120 win. The main stalwarts Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins all sat out, but the team still managed to pick up a huge win. Furthermore, a huge confidence boost was gained for the young players on the squad.
The Warriors kept their winning streak going at seven straight at the moment. They currently sit three games behind the Phoenix Suns, who have won eleven straight of their own. Golden State returns to Chase Center on Thursday to host Sacramento.
Rookies Came Up Huge
Moses Moody made his second consecutive start and seized his opportunity in 37 minutes. With most of the Warriors rotation wings sitting out this game, Moody showed coach Steve Kerr and the fans exactly the type of three-and-D player that he could become. He hit six triples for 20 points on 12 shots, and added seven rebounds.
Jonathan Kuminga has shown flashes of how high his ceiling can be, and he did not disappoint as he came up huge in 29 minutes off the bench. He played as a six-man against the Spurs and chipped in with 19 points on 15 shots. The seventh overall pick in last year’s draft was the primary backup five to relieve starting center Kevon Looney throughout the game. Kuminga was crucial as the small ball center in the fourth quarter, as the team held the Spurs to 16 points. His ability to switch onto players big or small was a huge reason why the Spurs went through a scoring drought when they failed to score in close to five minutes late in the fourth quarter.
One of the older guys on the court today, Curry’s brother-in-law Damien Lee stepped up in 37 minutes and hit timely shots in crunch time that helped the Warriors seal the win. After the game he praised the youth on the team for stepping up and coming through when it mattered the most.
“You have guys that are figuring out their roles in this complex system…young guys [like] JK [Jonathan Kuminga] played his ass off, Moses [Moody] went crazy, so did JP [Jordan Poole]. Guys that are 22 and under. They all have bright futures in this league.”
D-Lee gives a shoutout to the Dubs’ youth 🗣️
Jordan Poole Credits Steph Curry for Giving Advice Throughout the Game
With all of the high usage guys on the team sitting out, Jordan Poole had to take matters into his own hands and lead the scrappy Warriors through the entire game. In 34 minutes, the former Michigan product lead the team with 31 points, and chipped in with six rebounds and five assists. The third-year guard made his case for Most Improved Player with another stellar effort that was much needed to shoulder much of the offensive attack.
After the game, Poole told the media that Curry basically acted as Poole’s personal coach, mentoring him and his teammates as much advice as he could from the sidelines.
“It shows what our character is like. Coming from the top of the food chain all the way down, everybody is excited for each other, [everybody] wants to see everybody succeed. Steph [Curry] was just talking to me the entire game, the entire game just giving out any piece of advice, personally and as a team.”
Steph was giving Poole advice all game long