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Demoted Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins could not hide his emotion despite wearing a smile in the post-game press conference.
“It’s different, different for sure,” a surprised Wiggins told reporters of his new role off the bench. “It’s another thing I have to deal with. Whatever happens happens. Of course, I want to get back to my normal spot. But it could take time, who knows? I can’t really dwell on something that’s a decision made by somebody [else]. I just have to keep playing, keep staying aggressive, stay in the gym and just try to do the right things.
“Anything can happen in this league. I’m blessed to be here and if I want to get out of this little doghouse I just have to keep fighting my way out.”
Wiggins made a big step in the right direction to getting out of Kerr’s “little doghouse” when he dropped 25 points on his third game coming off the bench.
Wiggins’s vintage performance on Sunday, December 17, helped the Warriors overcome a rare Stephen Curry off night for their second straight win.
The former All-Star forward hit 9 of 12 shots, including a slam dunk off a Curry alley-oop pass with 1:44 left that punctuated a 118-114 win over the lottery-bound Portland Trail Blazers.
Steve Kerr Happy to See Vintage Andrew Wiggins
Kerr, who sent a message to Wiggins with his benching, was happy to see him respond in a big way.
“That’s vintage Andrew,” Kerr told reporters after the win. “That looks like the guy I know. He was aggressive. Confident. Took the shots that were there, attacked, made some good passes. I thought Andrew was just absolutely brilliant.”
Wiggins filled up the stats sheet with seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in his most complete game since his 31-point explosion against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a. November 18 loss.
Wiggins has not regularly come off the bench since his sixth grade, he revealed to reporters.
Stephen Curry’s 3-Point Streak Snapped
Curry’s streak of making a 3-pointer ended at 268 games. He missed all of his eight attempts from deep against the Trail Blazers.
It was the first time since Nov. 8, 2018, when he went 0 for 4 against Milwaukee that he did not make a single 3-pointer. He also owns the second-longest NBA streak at 157 games.
Curry ended up with a season-low seven points on 2 of 12 overall shooting.
“We can’t rely on Steph to bail us out on every single night,” Kerr said. “It was a tough night for him, but that’s what a team is supposed to be about. Everybody filling in for each other, different guys stepping up each night. That’s a great sign because he’s carried us for long enough this year. We need to give him more help.”
Klay Thompson and Wiggins, who have struggled early in the season, came up big to compensate for Curry’s below-par performance.
Thompson led the Warriors with 28 points on 11 of 16 shots. It was his fourth 20-plus-point game over his last five.
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Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins Breaks Silence Over Move to Steve Kerr’s ‘Little Doghouse’