Warriors withstand red-hot Wizards

A 122-114 win, despite Washington making all the threes.

Sometimes you run into a team that is just having one of Those Games. Even the worst teams are capable of having Those Games. The Washington Wizards squad that the Golden State Warriors hosted on Saturday night, despite being an NBA-worst 6-34, are even capable of having Those Games. Earlier this year, the Wizards ended a 16-game losing streak by comfortably beating the Denver Nuggets of all teams. One of Those Games.

The Wizards had one of Those Games on Saturday. The Warriors seem to lose every time a team has one of Those Games, or even anything remotely adjacent to it, and often to teams that aren’t even playing well. But not on Saturday. On Saturday they overcame the Wizards having one of Those Games, and, despite trailing for much of the contest, emerged with a 122-114 victory.

So what made it one of Those Games for Washington? Threes. And what made Golden State overcome that? The paint.

The Wizards entered the game averaging just 12.5 made threes per game, 21st in the league. Worse yet, they shoot just 33.3% from distance, worse than every NBA team except the Orlando Magic, who somehow have a winning record despite shooting a 90s-esque 30.4% from deep.

But in this game, led by former Warriors star turned Warriors killer Jordan Poole, the Wizards could not miss from deep. Washington netted a season-best 22 made threes on a glistening 48.9% shooting. Could the Warriors have defended the three-point line better? Certainly. But the bulk of the credit goes to Poole and the Wizards, who were not exactly making wide-open looks.

The Dubs were also dealt an opening blow. They welcomed Draymond Green back after a three-game absence, but he injured his calf just three minutes into the game. Thankfully it appears to be a minor injury, but it kept him out for the rest of the game. That certainly played a role in Washington scoring as many points as they did.

Golden State’s offense was cold in the first quarter, but for a while, so was Washington’s. Eventually things started to click for both teams, and the Wizards led 29-25 after the frame. That lead quickly was pushed to 34-25, before the Dubs rattled off an 8-0 run, forcing a timeout. Led by aggressive offense from Andrew Wiggins and Trayce Jackson-Davis, the Warriors found their rhythm on offense, but Poole wasn’t hearing any of it. Clearly delighted to play against his former team, Poole dropped in 15 points in the quarter and while the Warriors made a late run, Washington answered, with Bub Carrington draining a tough three in the corner to make it a 60-53 Washington lead at halftime. Despite committing just four turnovers, the Warriors trailed by seven, thanks to Washington shooting 13-for-24 from distance.

The third quarter didn’t start better. Within the blink of an eye, the deficit was double digits. But then the Dubs rattled off some quick points, forcing an early Wizards timeout. The explosion continued on the other half of the timeout, with a 13-2 run leading to a Warriors lead before the halfway mark.

From there, the teams went back and forth and back and forth and back again. The Warriors were playing well, moving the ball well, and attacking the basket well, but the Wizards would not stop hitting threes.

Finally the Dubs pushed over the hump at the end of the quarter. Down three points with less than a minute left, Dennis Schröder attacked and drew a foul, making both free throws. On the other end, Kevon Looney had a spectacular block, grabbed the rebound, and started a fast break, with Wiggins finding Moses Moody for a tough transition and-one. After forcing a turnover on the other side, the Warriors took an 89-87 lead into the fourth quarter.

You could feel the momentum shifting as the inexperienced Wizards — so young, so not accustomed to winning — panicked a little, and the more veteran Warriors took control. But with both Curry and Poole on the bench, Washington’s Kyle Kuzma started to take over, and kept the Warriors from building a big lead. Well past the halfway mark of the final quarter, it remained a one-possession game.

Then came another big sequence, with about four-and-a-half minutes remaining, and the offense ice cold. With the Warriors up one point, Moody missed a three, but charged in for his own rebound, and attacked straight into seven-foot center Alexandre Sarr, finishing over him for a bucket. After a timeout the Warriors got a stop, and missed a shot, but Looney gobbled up one of the team’s 17 offensive rebounds, and found a cutting Gary Payton II for a three-point play. A few minutes later, Curry drained in a three, capping a 15-5 run that gave the Warriors a 10-point lead.

But the Wizards had one final run in them, and it came at a cost. With the Warriors having to keep their best players on the court to close things out, Curry and Poole got tangled and hit the deck with about a minute remaining. Curry rolled his left ankle, and limped off the court, though he indicated that he was OK.

With under 50 seconds left, Wiggins — who had a sensational game — drained a three to push the lead back to 10, and effectively end the game.

Wiggins may have made that three, but most of his points were in the paint, which is where the Warriors did extreme damage. They scored a staggering 58 points in the paint, compared to just 24 for Washington. And that was just enough to overcome one of the best shooting nights the Wizards will have all year, and escape with a 122-114 win.

It was Wiggins who led the way for the Warriors with 31 points and 11 rebounds, with seemingly every basket a big one; it was a spectacular game for him. Curry only shot 4-for-14 from deep, but finished with 26 points, five rebounds, and six assists, with just one turnover. Schröder (20), Moody (13), Looney (10), and Payton (10) also scored in double figures, while Looney (13) and Trayce Jackson-Davis (15) gave the Dubs three players with double-digit rebounds, as Golden State narrowly won the rebounding battle.

Poole, who had a fun time bantering with his former teammates and spent a long time after the game catching up with them, was sensational, with 38 points, five rebounds, and five assists, while shooting 8-for-15 from distance. It’s been a dismal season for Washington, but it’s great to see Poole having such a strong year.

After beating one of the worst teams in the NBA (and moving back above .500), the Warriors now get to face one of the best ones. They host the defending-champion Boston Celtics on Monday at 2:00 p.m. PT on TNT. Let’s hope that Green and Curry are able to play in that one.