Getty Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors.
In what has been an up-and-down season, the Golden State Warriors have found their footing a bit. As things stand, they’ve won two games in a row against the Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors and have moved to 25-24 on the season, which places them in seventh place in the Western Conference standings.
Their most recent win over the Raptors included an impressive display from Golden State’s bench unit (which has struggled mightily this season). Three different bench pieces dropped 10 or more points. After the game, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse praised the Warriors, calling them the best team in the league at shooting and cutting.
“For sure. They are,” Nurse said via the Raptors’ official YouTube channel. The level and quantity of shooters, [the] speed that they run and cut, nobody else has that when they’re rolling. It’s just, it’s a challenge. I say that, ‘They run really fast and you better be ready to run fast with them, and change directions.'”
Golden State has been one of the most dominant teams in league history over the last decade, having won four championships in the last eight years. Nurse had first-hand experience with their play in the 2019 NBA Finals, as his Raptors were one of two teams to take down the Warriors in the Finals (once they got there).
This time around, on January 27, the Warriors got the better of the Raptors. Curry led the way with an impressive showing, dropping 35 points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists on 13-of-21 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting from deep.
As for Golden State’s bench, they were crucial, as previously mentioned. Jonathan Kuminga poured in 15 points, Donte DiVincenzo recorded 12 points and 11 assists, and JaMychal Green put up 10 points and six boards.
Steve Kerr Sends Message on James Wiseman
While Golden State’s bench stepped up against the Raptors, it has been the biggest weak point of the Warriors’ roster all season. That’s in large part due to their younger players’ struggles. And while Kuminga has been earning a larger role in the rotation, James Wiseman has not.
Head coach Steve Kerr recently sent a message on the circumstances surrounding Wiseman and whether or not the team feels obligated to play him or trade him.
“I think that’s a fair question,” Kerr said on 95.7 The Game’s Damon & Ratto. “One of the things I tell James from time to time, is that I feel bad for him because of the circumstances. He’s had a tough go with the injuries, the injuries definitely set him back. But the bottom line is he’s a really talented young guy playing on a veteran team.”
Draymond Green Sounds Off on Jonathan Kuminga
As for Kuminga, he’s done a great job of turning his season around and finding a spot in the rotation. After a recent loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Draymond Green still found a way to praise the Warriors youngster.
“Thought he did a really good job of playing under control and taking advantage of those mismatches,” Green said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “And then also defensively just hounding guys, like he’s been hounding the ball. It’s good.”