Player grades: Warriors vs. Jazz

Let’s get this out of the way quickly, because frankly I don’t want to talk much about this game. The Golden State Warriors jumped out to a 13-0 lead over the Utah Jazz, then proceeded to get outscored 111-72 the rest of the way, which saw their nine-game winning streak come to a screeching halt.

There are blameful fingers to point, if you’re into that sort of thing. Or there are valid excuses to make, if you just want to skip past this one and move on to Thursday’s game against the New York Knicks.

Either way, we’ve got grades to hand out. As always, we’ll weight for our expectations of each player.

Otto Porter Jr.

15 minutes, 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 foul, 3-for-8 shooting, 2-for-5 threes, +10

Porter was a game-time decision, so I’m guessing he’s not yet physically cleared for big minutes, because he only played 15 — the same amount he played on Monday in his return to action. It made a little more sense on Monday, since he wasn’t playing well, but he started this game hot, with eight early points.

Morbidly interesting stat: Porter was the only Warriors player with a positive plus/minus.

Grade: B

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

Andrew Wiggins

28 minutes, 13 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 5-for-11 shooting, 2-for-5 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, -9

I don’t think I’d go so far as to say that Wiggins really put his imprint on this game, as no one from Golden State’s side stepped up enough to do that. But I think it’s a fairly safe claim to make that Wiggins was the best player on the floor for Golden State.

On a night where the ball movement was rather paltry, and the Dubs mustered a rather sad 17 assists, Wiggins’ playmaking stood out. Even his turnovers seemed to come from trying to create for others, in a game where the Warriors were hesitant to do that.

Grade: B+

Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.

Kevon Looney

23 minutes, 2 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 foul, 1-for-4 shooting, -2

Looney had some decent moments rebounding and, like Wiggins, the assists stand out given how the team played.

But even with All-Star Rudy Gobert out, Utah’s centers stole the show, with Udoka Azubuike (no relation to Kelenna) and Hassan Whiteside combining for 20 points and 22 rebounds on 9-for-10 shooting. Looney certainly doesn’t deserve all the blame for that (nor does he deserve any blame for that pair recording eight blocked shots), but he does deserve some of it.

Grade: B-

Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.

Steph Curry

30 minutes, 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls, 5-for-13 shooting, 3-for-8 threes, 3-for-4 free throws, -14

It really just seemed like Curry was never comfortable in this game. He had a handful of turnovers, some quite bad, and really struggled to set up his teammates. His efficiency was not bad per se (though not up to his standards), but he had a hard time getting off his shot.

Hopefully he’ll look a little more like himself against the Knicks. More of this magic, please.

Grade: C+

Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.

Jordan Poole

32 minutes, 18 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 5-for-14 shooting, 3-for-8 threes, 5-for-5 free throws, -8

For a good portion of the game, Poole was clearly the most impactful Warrior. He was continuing to show off his aggression and getting to the free throw line, and also taking on the role of playmaker.

At some point in the game his productivity took a nose dive — around the time the team’s did. Still, a lot to like in the performance, even if it wasn’t sustained.

Grade: B

Jonathan Kuminga

23 minutes, 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 fouls, 3-for-9 shooting, 2-for-6 threes, 4-for-6 free throws, -29

Kuminga looked like a rookie in this game. No shame in being what you are, but it made for an at-times rough experience. His offense was rather tunnel visiony, which not only stagnated the flow of the system, but also led to him forcing shots. There were a few different moments where he should have given up on a play long before he did.

There was also a lot of fouling, often of the inexperienced, reaching-instead-of-moving variety.

But he still took time to show off the toolkit, with a few threes, a few nice passes, and his daily dose of rim violence.

Grade: C+

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

Juan Toscano-Anderson

19 minutes, 11 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 4-for-9 shooting, 3-for-6 threes, -13

JTA was the only Warrior to attempt multiple shots from behind the arc and make at least half of them. His floor-stretching from the front court might have been more noticeable had the rest of the team been playing well, but what can you do.

Elsewhere, it was a mediocre game for him. He had some good defensive moments, but struggled to do anything to help contain Azubuike and Whiteside, and had too many turnovers and fouls for the minutes he played.

Grade: B-

Damion Lee

27 minutes, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 0-for-7 shooting, 0-for-4 threes, -22

Lee is a more well-rounded player than he often gets credit for, but he’s still primarily on the roster for one reason: to score, and to score with his jumper specifically. So it’s hard to give him anything resembling a passing grade when he puts up a donut in 27 minutes.

Grade: D+

Gary Payton II

23 minutes, 0 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, -21

This wasn’t GP2’s best game, but even so, it was really fun watching him go up against Donovan Mitchell when Utah had the ball.

It was also the second-highest minutes total he’s had without a steal this year.

Grade: C

Moses Moody

21 minutes, 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2-for-3 shooting, 1-for-1 threes, -22

It was a little jarring to look at the box score and see that Moody played this many minutes. I ... umm ... well I watched the game and definitely would not have told you that.

In many ways that’s a good thing. Moody really knows how to stay inside his role, and not try and do too much ... a rookie playing 21 minutes without a turnover or a foul is pretty impressive. In fact, it’s just the 27th time this season it’s been done, with Moody accounting for one of the other times, as well.

And that three ball sure is coming around...

Grade: B+

Wednesday’s inactives: Nemanja Bjelica, Chris Chiozza, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, Quinndary Weatherspoon, James Wiseman