The Golden State Warriors just got back to where they belong on Tuesday: in the victory column. The Dubs steamrolled the young Detroit Pistons, winning 102-86 in a game that was nowhere near as close. Golden State led by 28 at halftime and pushed the lead comfortably into the 30s before running to the finish line with the back of the bench.
It was a fun game, with many good performances. So let's judge them all and weight our expectations for each player.
Jonathan Kuminga
25 minutes, 12 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 theft, 3 turnovers, 5 errors, 4-to-10 shooting, 2-to-4 threes, 2-to-2 penalty throws, +8
Here are some fun Kuminga stats:
With his 19 years, 104 days, Jonathan Kuminga's double-double (12p, 10r) makes him the second youngest warrior to have achieved 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 continue to start Jonathan Kuminga in the absence of Draymond Green.
- Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 19, 2022
And here's a quote worth sticking to:
Klay Thompson on Jonathan Kuminga: "I'm so excited about his future ... A day later it will be his team."
- Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) January 19, 2022
Kuminga is still raw, but it is very clear that his bag has all the tools ever made. And he has already begun to sharpen those tools.
Grade: A
Bonus after the game: Led the team in rebounds.
Andrew Wiggins
28 minutes, 19 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, 3 errors, 8-to-13 shots, 3-to-7 threes, 0-to-2 penalty throws, +20
A super solid game from two-way Wiggs, who utilized the gravity of the Splash Brothers to have an extremely effective game while also playing an intense perimeter defense.
He played in the role that suited him and he played it very well.
Grade: A
Kevon Looney
23 minutes, 0 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 theft, 1 block, 0-to-2 shooting, +18
By channeling his inner Dennis Rodman, Looney became just the fourth player this season (along with Josh Giddey, Jalen Smith and Jakob Pöltl) to have at least 10 rebounds in a match without scoring a point (although Giddey wins the award for the coolest way to achieve this as he also had 10 assists).
Looney has been chattering boards lately, and the assist numbers have also been strong. And who cares if he does not score? That's what the other players are for.
Grade: A-
Bonus after the game: Led the team in rebounds.
Steph Curry
29 minutes, 18 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 6-on-11 shooting, 4-on-8 threes, 2-on-2 free throws
It was not a scoring explosion from Curry, but given some of his recent fights, I think everyone will be happy to just see him have the hyper-efficient nights we got to know him.
He does a masterful job of helping Klay Thompson back into the fold and helping everyone find their roles. And the passing was very, very nice.
Grade: A-
Bonus after the game: 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-on-13 shots, 3-on-8 threes, 6-on-6 free throws, +16
This was the game where Klay looked most like Klay since he came back 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 on attacking the rim really pays off.
It really looked like Splash Bros. out there, and what a treat it was.
Grade: A
Bonus after the game: Led the team in points
Nemanja Bjelica
18 minutes, 8 points, 7 rebounds, 1 theft, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 3-on-6 shots, 1-on-2 threes, 1-on-2 penalty throws, -12
Bjelica did a lot of good things in this match, but almost got out of it with mistake after mistake. The rebounding continues to be excellent and that together with his shooting and intelligence makes him a valuable player. But he has been shooting himself in the foot a bit lately.
Grade: C +
Bonus after the game: Worst plus / minus on the team.
Otto Porter Jr.
22 minutes, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 foul, 1-on-4 shooting, 1-on-3 threes, 1-on-2 free throws, +7
I have to be honest, I do not have much of a memory that Porter played in this game. It's both the good news and the bad news.
Grade: B-
Juan Toscano-Anderson
15 minutes, 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 theft, 1 block, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 1-on-4 shooting, 0-on-2 threes, 2-on-4 penalty throws, -2
Not the purest game for JTA, what about the missed shots and errors, but strong on rebounds and defense, the former of which was much needed and the latter was much appreciated.
Grade: B
Damion Lee
12 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 turnover, 1-on-3 shooting, 0-on-1 threes, +3
Not necessarily a bad game, but nothing Lee will remember from this one. Nor something I want to remember.
Grade: B-
Gary Payton II
14 minutes, 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 2 violations, 2-to-7 shots, 0-to-2 threes, 1-to-2 penalty throws, +6
Payton returned to the lineup after missing some time with an injury, and while doing 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-on-6 shots, 0-on-2 threes, 1-on-2 free throws, +4
Poole was really not able to put his mark on this match. The one thing we can say in his honor is that he did not force the question; his lack of selection was more an absence of his usual quality play than anything that hurt the Warriors. It's a good thing for a young player to be able to.
But the bench struggled to hold the big lead a bit, and Poole was a big part of it.
Grade: C
Moses Moody
8 minutes, 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 foul, 0-on-3 shooting, 0-on-2 threes, 4-on-4 free throws, -4
Moody did not get too many chances in this match and his shooting continues to struggle - he is now 20-to-59 from the field and 4-to-33 from three-point range on the season - but he got to the free-throw line little, and then not lost out in defense.
Grade: C +
Chris Chiozza
4 minutes, 0 points, 0-to-1 shooting, 0-to-1 threes, -5
Strict garbage time for Dubs' two-way contract.
Grade: Incomplete
Tuesday inactive: Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Quinndary Weatherspoon, James Wiseman