Dub Hub, Daily Warriors Links for 5/9/23: Tensions rising for Jordan Poole following Game 4 loss vs. Lakers

Good Morning Dub Nation,

The Golden State Warriors face a dreaded 3-1 deficit after losing Monday night’s Game 4 matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, 104-101. The back-and-forth thriller featured a 31 point, 14 assist, and 10 rebound triple-double from Stephen Curry, however, the Warriors just couldn’t execute in the final seconds of the game as the loss brings them to the brink of elimination.

Amongst all the player grades last night, the most worrisome of them all was from Warriors’ guard Jordan Poole. He was a non-factor in Game 4, scoring zero points on 0-of-4 shooting from the field with two turnovers in just 10 minutes of action. Poole’s struggles this postseason have been well-documented and his frustrations seems to have reached its peak during a tense locker room interview, according to Kerith Burke of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Tim Kawakami of The Athletic offered additional context to this situation. In his latest article, he emphasizes that Poole was not angry or unpleasant with reporters. However, it does seem like his poor performance and lack of playing time have him rattled for this playoff series.

Via The Athletic:

“I’ve got nothing for you,” Poole said to me when I was the first one to his locker. He wasn’t unpleasant. He wasn’t exactly genial, but he didn’t bolt or put on his headphones and zone out, either. He sat in his chair and stared directly into his locker, with his back to the gathering crowd of reporters.

Poole, who hasn’t spoken to the media much this postseason, repeated that he had nothing to say a few times, kept looking into his locker but didn’t raise his voice once. Eventually, he answered a few questions with brief answers. Again: Not unpleasant. Not biting. Not angry. Just … not much in the sharing mood.

“We’ve got another game in a couple days; it’s at home,” Poole said of Game 5 coming up at Chase Center on Wednesday. “So we should get that one done.”

Can anything change for you in this series, Jordan?

“Work ethic doesn’t change,” Poole said. “Routine doesn’t change. Maybe opportunity changes, but you can only control what you can control. We’ve got another game in a couple days, at home.”

After being a fixture of Golden State’s championship team last season, Poole only played 10 minutes of last night’s game, and saw no playing time when things mattered the most in the fourth quarter. A season which started with Draymond Green punching him in practice has spiraled for Poole ever since — culminating in last night’s disappointing zero-point performance. Having said that, Curry – as the leader of the team – took some of the heat off Poole during his postgame interview.

It’s not looking good for the Warriors right now, but a 3-1 hole is something they’ve climbed their way out of before. With the series returning to the Bay, it will be interesting to see just how the defending champions will respond to this latest adversity.

Here are the rest of today’s stories:

In case you missed it from Golden State of Mind:

• A failed ‘Hammer’ and other Game 4 musings about a Warriors team on the brink of elimination
• Player grades: Game 4
• Warriors lose Game 4 thriller, fall behind 3-1
• Warriors insert Gary Payton II into starting lineup of Game 4 against Lakers
• Warriors don’t blame officiating for Game 3 loss vs. Lakers

Other Warriors News:

• Kawakami: Jordan Poole is under the spotlight and wilting as the Warriors get pushed to the brink (The Athletic)
• Down 3-1, Warriors offer reminder: ‘We made history before’ (ESPN)
• Steve Kerr accepts Klay Thompson’s missed 3-pointers in Warriors’ Game 4 loss (NBC Sports Bay Area)
• Amid playoffs, Warriors Gary Payton II quietly celebrates earning his college degree (Fox KTVU)
• Bonta Hill suggests Jordan Poole might need ‘change of scenery’ (95.7 The Game)

NBA News:

• Nikola Jokic won’t be suspended for incident with Suns owner (ESPN)
• Knicks on brink of elimination as Heat take home Game 4 (ESPN)
• Former Mavs’ Kristaps Porzingis on Imperfect Fit with Luka Doncic: ‘A Lot of It’s On Me’ (Sports Illustrated)
• Lakers would give championship rings to all 26 players to play for them if they win title (SB Nation)
• Paolo Banchero headlines 2022-23 Kia NBA All-Rookie teams (NBA)