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The Golden State Warriors have punched their ticket to the Western Conference Finals and, as one might expect, it was the Steph-Klay-Dray show that led the way to the team’s elimination win over the Grizzlies on Friday.
Klay Thompson paced the effort with a 30-point night, hitting eight threes and adding eight rebounds, three blocks and two assists. Meanwhile, Stephen Curry had a 29-point night — including 11 in the fourth quarter — and Draymond Green scored 14 of his own to go along with 15 boards and eight dimes.
That said, the Warriors received contributions from players up and down the roster. For his part, Andrew Wiggins played a huge part in helping Golden State turn the tide down the stretch.
Subbing in for Jordan Poole at the 7:08 mark of the final frame, Wiggins went on to hit a three, nab a steal for a breakaway jam on the other end and, finally, force Dillon Brooks into a missed layup, which led to a transition triple for Steph. All of this occurred over the course of 90 seconds or so and it resulted in the Dubs getting a lead they’d hold until the clock read all zeroes.
Wiggins finished with 18 points, 11 boards and three blocked shots in 41 minutes on the night, one of his best efforts of the postseason. But if you ask Curry, he’ll tell you he saw it all coming…quite literally.
Steph Dreams Wiggins’ Effort Into Existence?
During his postgame media availability, Curry was asked if he had any inkling that Wiggins was going to perform at such a high level in Game 6. According to the two-time league MVP, he didn’t just suspect that it was going to happen — he actually foresaw it as he slept the night before the contest.
“I had a dream last night that he was going to hit some big shots in the fourth and step up the way he did, and [it] played out just exactly how I saw it,” Curry revealed.
As Curry sees it, Wiggins’ energy late in the game rubbed off on his teammates and helped spur them on to the series-clinching win.
“I made a three at the five-minute mark or whatever, it was the fourth quarter and I went to the bench and first person I saw was him and I yelled at him, like… he gave us life to start that fourth quarter. You know, made the big three. I think he hit a tough, in the shot clock two that kept the momentum, got to steal the dunk, and then he got that three, right wing I think and those are huge plays because it’s a one, two-possession either way.”
However, Steph didn’t get everything he wanted out of his All-Star teammamte.
“Still didn’t get a reaction out of him yet,” Steph added. “I just wanted — I got one this series when he dunked on Brandon Clarke but the rest of it, he’s just good old Wiggs making big plays.”
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Wiggins Has Been More Impactful Than One Might Think This Postseason
Wiggins’ scoring may have dipped as the regular season wore on, and the trend has continued into the playoffs where he’s currently sitting at an average of 14.5 points per game. However, he has quietly been incredibly efficient offensively and impactful in a variety of other ways, all over the floor.
Through 11 postseason contests, Wiggins is shooting 49.2% from the floor and 40% from three-point range. And the Dubs have scored 116.9 points per 100 possessions when he has been on the court, a mark that is second only to that of Otto Porter.
Moreover, his 6.9 rebounds per contest represent the second-best postseason average on the team. 2.5 of those have been coming on the offensive glass, too, which is the top number on the Warriors.
All of that adds up to Golden State being 12.5 points/100 poss. better overall with Wiggins on the floor compared to when he sits.
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