/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70406924/1365521880.0.jpg)
The Golden State Warriors got right back where they belong on Tuesday: in the win column. The Dubs steamrolled the young Detroit Pistons, winning 102-86 in a game that wasn’t nearly that close. Golden State led by 28 at the half, and pushed the lead comfortably into the 30s, before coasting with the back of their bench to the finish line.
It was a fun game, with a lot of good performances. So let’s grade them all, weighting for our expectations for each player.
Jonathan Kuminga
25 minutes, 12 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 5 fouls, 4-for-10 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, +8
Here’s a fun Kuminga stat:
At 19 years, 104 days, Jonathan Kuminga’s double-double (12p, 10r) makes him the second-youngest Warrior to achieve the feat. Andris Biedrins did it two weeks before his 19th birthday.
— Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) January 19, 2022
And here’s an important note:
Steve Kerr said the Warriors will keep starting Jonathan Kuminga in Draymond Green’s absence.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 19, 2022
And here’s a quote worth hanging onto:
Klay Thompson on Jonathan Kuminga: "I'm so excited for his future. ... One day down the line, it'll be his team."
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) January 19, 2022
Kuminga is still raw, but it’s very clear that his bag has every tool ever made in it. And he’s starting to sharpen those tools already.
JK starting things off from distance
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 19, 2022
@NBCSAuthentic pic.twitter.com/JfAg1QyGz8
Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.
Andrew Wiggins
28 minutes, 19 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 8-for-13 shooting, 3-for-7 threes, 0-for-2 free throws, +20
A super solid game from two-way Wiggs, who utilized the gravity provided by the Splash Brothers to have a highly efficient game, while also playing some intense perimeter defense.
️ #AndrewWiggins ️#NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/0HHitzTOP6
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 19, 2022
He was playing in the role that fit him, and he played it very well.
Grade: A
Kevon Looney
23 minutes, 0 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 0-for-2 shooting, +18
Channeling his inner Dennis Rodman, Looney became just the fourth player this season (joining Josh Giddey, Jalen Smith, and Jakob Pöltl) to have at least 10 rebounds in a game without scoring a point (though Giddey wins the award for coolest way of achieving this, as he also had 10 assists).
Looney has been gobbling up boards lately, and the assist numbers have been strong too. And who cares if he’s not scoring? That’s what the other players are for.
Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.
Steph Curry
29 minutes, 18 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 6-for-11 shooting, 4-for-8 threes, 2-for-2 free throws
It wasn’t a scoring explosion from Curry, but given some of his recent struggles, I think everyone will be happy just to see him having the hyper-efficient nights that we’ve come to know him for.
Range = LIMITLESS#StephenCurry || #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/MVSmIwoL3q
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 19, 2022
He’s doing a masterful job of helping work Klay Thompson back into the fold, and helping everyone find their roles. And the passing was very, very nice.
SHOWTIME@StateFarm || Assist of the Night pic.twitter.com/w5NRo6EdhA
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 19, 2022
Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists and plus/minus
Klay Thompson
22 minutes, 21 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 6-for-13 shooting, 3-for-8 threes, 6-for-6 free throws, +16
This was the game where Klay looked the most like Klay since his return nine days ago. He was both patient and aggressive, while being relentless in his pursuit of good looks. His defense looked solid, and his newfound wrinkle of attacking the rim is really paying dividends.
KT highlights? KT highlights.#KlayThompson || #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/F4pjfW0ExO
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 19, 2022
It really looked like the Splash Bros out there, and what a treat that was.
Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points
Nemanja Bjelica
18 minutes, 8 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 3-for-6 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, -12
Bjelica did a lot of good things in this game, but nearly took himself out of it with foul after foul. The rebounding continues to be excellent, and that, paired with his shooting and intelligence, make him a valuable player. But he’s been shooting himself in the foot a bit lately.
Grade: C+
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.
Otto Porter Jr.
22 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 foul, 1-for-4 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, +7
I’ll be honest, I don’t have much of a memory of Porter playing in this game. That’s both the good news and the bad news.
Grade: B-
Juan Toscano-Anderson
15 minutes, 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 1-for-4 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 2-for-4 free throws, -2
Not the cleanest game for JTA, what with the missed shots and fouls, But strong on the rebounds and defense, the former of which was greatly needed, and the latter of which was much appreciated.
Grade: B
Damion Lee
12 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 turnover, 1-for-3 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, +3
Not necessarily a bad game, but nothing Lee will remember from this one. Nothing I’ll remember, either.
Grade: B-
Gary Payton II
14 minutes, 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 2-for-7 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, +6
Payton returned to the lineup after missing some time with an injury, and while he did some good things, he mostly looked like a player returning to the lineup after missing some time with an injury.
Grade: C+
Jordan Poole
21 minutes, 5 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 2-for-6 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, +4
Poole really wasn’t able to put his mark on this game. The one thing we can say to his credit is that he didn’t force the issue; his lack of mark-making was more an absence of his usual quality play than anything that damaged the Warriors. That’s a good thing for a young player to be able to do.
But the bench struggled to hold the huge lead a bit, and Poole was a big part of that.
Grade: C
Moses Moody
8 minutes, 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 foul, 0-for-3 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 4-for-4 free throws, -4
Moody didn’t get too much of an opportunity in this game, and his shooting continues to struggle — he’s now 20-for-59 from the field and 4-for-33 from three-point range on the season — but he got to the free throw line a bit, and didn’t look lost on defense.
Grade: C+
Chris Chiozza
4 minutes, 0 points, 0-for-1 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, -5
Strictly garbage time for the Dubs’ two-way contract.
Grade: Incomplete
Tuesday’s inactives: Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Quinndary Weatherspoon, James Wiseman
Loading comments...