Player grades: Warriors vs. Kings

The Golden State Warriors got back to their winning ways on Monday night, building up a big lead, blowing it, and building it up again for a 113-98 win over the Sacramento Kings.

There was no question entering the night who held the mantle as the best team in Northern California ... but if there was, the Warriors certainly answered the question emphatically, albeit with both teams missing multiple key contributors due to the health and safety protocols.

But we can’t just let a win sit there without analyzing the players responsible for it, so let’s grade the players, weighting for our expectations of each.

Draymond Green

33 minutes, 16 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 5 turnovers, 3 fouls, 7-for-11 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, +7

A triple-double with four stocks is about as Draymond Green as Draymond Green gets. He was simply everywhere.

He attacked the basket when the Kings put too much focus on Curry, scoring a season-high 16 points. He attacked the rim just as relentlessly when shots went up, gobbling up boards. He dished the rock with plenty of highlights, and his defense speaks for itself.

Just a superstar performance from probably the best player on the court Monday.

Grade: A+

Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds and assists.

Jonathan Kuminga

6 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 foul, 1-for-4 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, +7

Kuminga got the start with Andrew Wiggins sidelined, and made the most of it in the initial minutes. He had a key defensive deflection on Sacramento’s first possession of the game, and then was ultra aggressive on offense.

Unfortunately he suffered lower back tightness early on, and only got to play a few minutes.

Grade: B+

Kevon Looney

16 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 fouls, 0-for-1 shooting, +1

Looney kind of disappeared in this game, playing some solid basketball but not really doing much of note. The Dubs could have used more rebounds from him.

Grade: C+

Steph Curry

36 minutes, 30 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers, 1 foul, 13-for-27 shooting, 4-for-12 threes, 0-for-1 free throws, +16

Another game of moderate efficiency for Curry, who blended some of the highlights that the rest of us can only dream of with a whole bunch of misses and some unfortunate turnovers.

Whether he’s in a slump or just feeling the impact of teams throwing the kitchen sink (and three defenders) at him, one thing’s for sure: we’re not used to seeing his percentages look like this.

Well, one other thing’s for sure: he’s still impacting the game at a ridiculous level.

Grade: B

Post-game bonus: Led the team in points and plus/minus.

Damion Lee

30 minutes, 18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 7-for-8 shooting, 4-for-4 threes, +11

Now I may not have a Masters in math, but I do know that when you make seven of eight shots it means that you scored really well and really efficiently.

Grade: A+

Nemanja Bjelica

15 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 2-for-7 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, +8

This may be more narrative than fact, but it sure felt like every time the Warriors started to slip, Steve Kerr would put Bjelica in for a few minutes and things would stabilize.

Nature is healing. Or Bjeli is, at least.

Grade: B+

Andre Iguodala

24 minutes, 10 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, 1 steal, 3-for-5 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, +16

A game-high plus-minus, a few timely shots, a plethora of assists, and one shoulder shrug.

The total Iguodala package was on display Monday night.

Grade: A+

Post-game bonus: Led the team in plus/minus.

Otto Porter Jr.

29 minutes, 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 4 blocks, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 5-for-9 shooting, 2-for-5 threes, +13

It’s fun to see Porter get to play starters minutes, even if off the bench. He deserves them, and it’s only been his injury history and the Warriors obscene depth that has kept him from getting them.

But you certainly saw on Monday why he deserves them.

Grade: A+

Juan Toscano-Anderson

16 minutes, 6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 2-for-4 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, -5

JTA gave the Warriors some huge minutes early on, with a few big plays. The production wore down as the game went on, but he was responsible for some key moments.

Grade: B+

Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.

Moses Moody

2 minutes, 0 points, 0-for-1 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, +1

Some garbage time minutes for Moody. Hopefully he’s able to get more of them soon.

Grade: Incomplete

Gary Payton II

18 minutes, 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 foul, 5-for-9 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 2-for-3 free throws, +1

There aren’t many players in the NBA who can put together a defensive highlight package as well as GP2 can. And, as seems to be the case on most game nights these days, he added to his dunk highlight reel as well.

Grade: A-

Chris Chiozza

12 minutes, 3 points, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 1-for-2 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, -1

Chiozza got some decent minutes, though his performance was mostly forgettable. He’s done a really good job of staying in control though, and helping the team run their offense.

Grade: B-

Monday’s inactives: Jeff Dowtin, Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman