Player grades: Warriors vs. Thunder

The Golden State Warriors made it nine straight wins on Monday night, besting a very pesky and game Oklahoma City Thunder squad 110-98.

Things started and ended slowly for the Dubs, but in between there was some excellence, especially by a few specific players.

But we’re not just focusing on those players — we’re focusing on everyone. It’s time to grade all of the Dubs, weighting for our expectations of each player.

Otto Porter Jr.

15 minutes, 2 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 foul, 1-for-3 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, -2

Porter made his return to the lineup after missing the last three games, but really didn’t make any impact, and didn’t even play much. It’s unclear if he still wasn’t feeling 100%, or if his conditioning wasn’t back to par, or if he simply didn’t play well so Steve Kerr didn’t call his name often.

Either way, it was easy to miss him out there.

Grade: C-

Andrew Wiggins

35 minutes, 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls, 6-for-15 shooting, 3-for-9 threes, +6

Wiggins did some nice things in this game, but on the whole it was quite mediocre. I’ve spent a lot of time in this space lately praising Wiggins for his improved playmaking, but this game offered up a bit of a reversion in that regard: not only did he turn the ball over three times without registering an assist, but he also took a step backwards in terms of slowing down the offense and stagnating. That was evident in not just his passing stats, but his efficiency ones as well.

Grade: C+

Kevon Looney

27 minutes, 8 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 4-for-6 shooting, +2

It’s been fun seeing Looney treated like an actual starting center over the last few weeks, as he’s finally getting big minutes at the position every night.

This game was solid for Looney, who held Derrick Favors in check all night while picking the spots to crash hard to the hoop for easy buckets.

Grade: B+

Steph Curry

37 minutes, 18 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls, 6-for-12 shooting, 4-for-10 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, +4

Curry came oh so close to notching a triple-double, but all he really cares about is the W, and all I really care about is that he’s shooting the ball like we’re used to him doing.

I’m happy.

Grade: A

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

Klay Thompson

29 minutes, 21 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 fouls, 6-for-15 shooting, 3-for-8 threes, 6-for-6 free throws, 0 plus/minus

Klay was having something of a ho-hum game (for his standards) until the final few minutes when the Thunder started to make the game frighteningly interesting. Then, in a moment that will give Thunder fans heart-stopping flashbacks to 2016, he nailed two dagger threes to ensure that the Warriors would head to Utah happy.

Killer Klay. Killer instinct.

Also: good defense from Thompson in a game where he saw his minutes restriction raised.

Grade: A

Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.

Jonathan Kuminga

23 minutes, 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 6-for-11 shooting, 0-for-3 threes, 4-for-7 free throws, +12

Another game that displayed how good Kuminga already is, and how great he can eventually be ... while also highlighting a few things that the Warriors are hoping to iron out as quickly as possible.

With a 6-for-8 performance from inside the arc, Kuminga is now shooting 58.8% on two-pointers ... an absurd rate for a 19-year old wing. The collection of rebounds and assists also showed off how much Andre Iguodala he has in his game.

There were a few moments of tunnel vision, and a some reckless possessions, but watching his evolution is a nightly joy. And my goodness, he’s just flat out fun.

Grade: A

Andre Iguodala

6 minutes, 3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 foul, 1-for-1 shooting, 1-for-1 threes, +8

The most unfortunate part of the night came in the form of Iguodala. The forever Warrior returned to the lineup for the first time since January 20, and looked absolutely excellent.

But he only played a handful of minutes before discomfort in his back — which was the cause of him missing the last eight games — saw him leave the game, which left people feeling both sad and pessimistic.

Grade: A/sad

Juan Toscano-Anderson

7 seconds, 0 points, 0 plus/minus

JTA only made it on the court for one possession, as a defensive substitute to end a quarter.

He gets an “incomplete” grade for that, but it’s also a reminder as to how great his attitude is that he stays ready for when the team needs him for 20 minutes, seven seconds, or not at all.

Grade: Incomplete

Damion Lee

14 minutes, 6 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2-for-4 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, +15

Nothing exciting, just super solid bench play from someone who’s been a super solid part of a super solid bench.

Grade: B+

Gary Payton II

14 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 2-for-3 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, +4

Every time Payton plays a game I feel compelled to tell you how obscene his defense is. He didn’t play a huge role in this game, but ... my goodness his defense is obscene.

Grade: B+

Jordan Poole

30 minutes, 11 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, 5-for-8 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, +17

Poole may have come into the league with a three-point reputation, but that was the worst part of his game on Monday. And yet despite that, he played in a way that the Warriors would so happily take every game of the year, and reward him with a massive extension for.

And that’s a testament to how far he’s come, and how hard he’s worked.

Poole flirted with a triple-double off the bench, providing a spark in every area of the game: with scoring, with passing, by crashing the boards, and with solid defense.

As a slight aside, the Warriors really need all the rebounding help they can get with Looney being a little undersized, and no other centers on the roster. Poole and Curry combining for 17 rebounds certainly qualifies as help in unconventional places.

Grade: A

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

Moses Moody

9 minutes, 5 points, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 2-for-4 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, -6

Moody returned to the back of the bench after a three-game stint in the starting lineup, and a lot of what he showed off while starting was on display off the pine. Namely the return of his three-point shot, while also not being overly reliant on it.

Grade: B

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

Monday’s DNPs: Chris Chiozza

Monday’s inactives: Nemanja Bjelica, Draymond Green, Quinndary Weatherspoon, James Wiseman