Player grades: Warriors vs. Bucks

Well, that was a dud. The Golden State Warriors kicked off their six-game road trip with a stinker of a game, getting blown out 128-111 by the Milwaukee Bucks. They didn’t play very well, and they were more aggressive arguing with the refs than they were driving to the hoop. And they paid the price.

Time to grade them, and grade them harshly we shall. As a reminder, all grades are weighted based on my expectations of each player, with a “B” representing the average performance for that player.

Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is shooting efficiency that accounts for three-point shooting and free throws. League average entering Tuesday’s games was 57.5%.

Draymond Green

23 minutes, 2 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 1-for-3 shooting, 33.3% TS, -9

It wasn’t a sure thing that Green would play in this game due to an injury he recently sustained on his ankle. I don’t know if that injury was bothering him, or if he just drank the same water that the rest of his teammates did, but it wasn’t his day.

Green wasn’t able to have the defensive impact that we’ve grown accustomed to in this game, though he was a part of some key bench lineups.

Grade: C+

Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.

Kevon Looney

19 minutes, 5 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 fouls, 2-for-4 shooting, 1-for-2 free throws, 51.2% TS, -15

One interesting wrinkle from this game: the Warriors started the game with Looney, not Green, defending Giannis Antetokounmpo. Looney did an admirable job. Antetokounmpo was clearly the best player in the game, but shot just 9-for-26 from the field.

Super solid effort by Looney, even though he really didn’t contribute anything on offense.

Grade: B+

Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.

Steph Curry

27 minutes, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 6-for-17 shooting, 3-for-10 threes, 5-for-5 free throws, 52.1% TS, -20

Tough game for Curry in many ways. He couldn’t get very many clean looks, and struggled to convert the looks he did get. He had a season low in assists — his lowest single-game total since March — and had more turnovers than assists for just the second time this season.

He took a brutal shot to the head that went uncalled — even the Bucks player who hit him asked if he was OK — and subsequently got one of the rare techs he gets when he absolutely unloads on a ref.

You can see the frustration with Steph right now. Frustration at his game, his teammates, and the state of the team.

Grade: D+

Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.

Klay Thompson

27 minutes, 14 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 6-for-16 shooting, 2-for-7 threes, 43.8% TS, -21

Klay’s shooting night wasn’t quite as bad as it looks, because he had a few bail-out shots late in the shot clock. But still: his jumper was off, and he was blowing some good, closer looks.

He had a few nice defensive possessions, but mostly took the game off everywhere else.

Grade: C-

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

Jordan Poole

32 minutes, 18 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls, 6-for-17 shooting, 3-for-7 shooting, 3-for-3 free throws, 49.1% TS, -13

Poole has been excellent most of the year when sliding into the starting lineup, but he was essentially a non-factor in this game. Normally it’s a good sign when he is aggressive on offense, but against the Bucks he was mostly just reckless. He had some bad looks, and often tried for contortionist layups rather than drawing contact ... the shot-blocking prowess of Brook Lopez definitely seemed to spook him.

He was also pretty careless with the basketball.

Grade: C-

Jonathan Kuminga

27 minutes, 19 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 6-for-10 shooting, 3-for-5 threes, 4-for-6 free throws, 75.2% TS, -3

Kuminga’s performance was the highlight of the game for the Warriors ... just as it’s been the highlight of the last few weeks of the season. He played his offensive role brilliantly, attacking the basket and making quick decisions. Even though he took quite a few threes, they were all in rhythm, and smart plays. He drew free throws on a night where the Warriors couldn’t get to the charity stripe.

The rebounding wasn’t there the way it has been lately, and he certainly got humbled on a few occasions playing a team with so many offensive weapons. The fouls are a little concerning.

But on the whole, this was a game to be excited about, from a player who’s been having a lot of those lately.

Grade: B+

JaMychal Green

13 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 6 fouls, 1-for-4 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 50.0% TS, -9

Well, that was ugly. Green’s been busy attacking the rim lately, but that didn’t happen. Instead he relied on a three-point shot that continues to betray him. His defense was awful, and he fouled out in just 13 minutes of action, while also turning the ball over thrice.

Brutal.

Grade: F

Anthony Lamb

26 minutes, 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 3-for-5 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, 80.0% TS, +3

I’m not entirely sure what to make of Lamb’s performance. The stats look pretty nice. But things have really started to look scattered when he’s out there. The defense is pretty rough, and the offense often looks frenzied.

Steve Kerr seems to like him because of the lack of mistakes, but sometimes I question how much he actually helps.

I’m not sure. He’s a hard player to read. But ultimately, he was one of their better performers in this one.

Grade: B+

Patrick Baldwin Jr.

8 minutes, 6 points, 2-for-3 shooting, 2-for-3 threes, 100.0% TS, +4

With Andrew Wiggins still sidelined, the Warriors recalled Baldwin from Santa Cruz, while James Wiseman and Ryan Rollins stay in the G League. I’ll be curious to see if they give him any desperation minutes. They put him in this one with eight minutes left, perhaps out of desperation and perhaps out of an early white towel wave.

Either way, he was one of the good stories of the game. He looked comfortable, he moved well, and he knocked in some jumpers. Great to see.

Grade: A

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

Donte DiVincenzo

27 minutes, 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 5-for-15 shooting, 4-for-10 threes, 2-for-3 free throws, 49.0% TS, -4

DiVincenzo was a bit trigger happy in his first game back in Milwaukee. But it paid huge dividends in the second quarter, when a trio of threes helped pull the Dubs back into it.

His energy was huge for the Warriors in this game, on both ends of the court. He just needs to get the efficiency figured out.

Grade: B

Moses Moody

10 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 2 fouls, 0-for-1 shooting, 0.0% TS, +2

Still not sure why Moody is playing so few minutes. He was solid.

Grade: B

Tuesday’s inactives: Andre Iguodala, Ty Jerome, Ryan Rollins, Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman