From owner Joe Lacob to general manager Bob Myers to coach Steve Kerr, the Warriors have been transparent about their ambitions to blend their Dynasty Dubs core along with their new wave of 22-and-under talent.
On Wednesday night, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Otto Porter Jr. were sidelined. That left Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga with a chance to run the show and the young duo didn’t disappoint. The Warriors waltzed out of Amway Arena with a 118-104 win over the healthy Miami Heat, who entered the contest with Eastern Conference’s best record.
The Warriors were on the second leg of a back-to-back, just removed from an ugly loss to the lowly Orlando Magic with a full complement of players. All things considered, it’s probably one of the best wins of the season for Golden State.
“Sometimes the NBA doesn’t make any sense,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of the past 24 hours.
Once again, the Warriors started out stone cold from the field but the two teams headed into the locker room tied at halftime. Then the Poole started popping off. There’s only one Curry, but when Poole is locked in and starts launching 3-pointers, sometimes it feels like the same experience.
In the span of just 64 seconds, Poole knocked down a trio of threes to punctuate a 19-0 heater by the Warriors to start the second half. He banked in a couple, including one as the shot clock expired and another ridiculous heave when he was trying to draw a foul.
Poole ended his night with 30 points, extending his streak of scoring at least 20 points to 11 straight contests. Over that span, he’s averaging 25.6 points per game with scorching shooting splits of 54.6 from the field, 50.5 from 3-point land and 88.6 from the free-throw line.
Curry isn’t expected to return until the playoffs. Klay is struggling and Andrew Wiggins is trying to find a rhythm, too. For now, Poole is the engine of the offense and transcending into a new stratosphere as a player. Exhibit A: The Heat were showing him extra attention and double-teaming him at times.
“It’s pretty cool,” Poole said with a smile.
It’s also worth noting that Poole dished out nine assists.
“I’m a willing passer,” Poole said. “If they’re gonna send two up top, we got a lot of players who can make plays and make the right plays. Being able to get off the ball and have our teammates put other guys in positions to score really helped us.”
Perhaps this isn’t just an 11-game hot streak. Perhaps this is the new normal for the third-year guard Poole, who is starting to unlock that All-Star potential Kerr sees.
“The good thing about JP is that he works on every facet of his game,” forward Damion Lee said. “He’s not just a point guard or not just a shooting guard. He can do it all and his decision making has been getting better and better.”
The Heat tried to expose Poole on defense with switches and big fellas like Bam Adebayo and P.J. Tucker were able to take advantage as Miami closed out the third quarter strong.
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Kuminga fouled out with 5:35 left but dropped 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting. When he gets a head of steam heading toward the rack, he seems like an unstoppable force. Kerr said Kuminga was baited into some fouls by a crafty, veteran-laden Heat squad. He’ll learn over time, but the raw potential is staggering.
“I think the work that I’ve been putting in every day is helping me get more comfortable,” Kuminga said.
Kuminga and fellow rookie Moses Moody are both 19. Poole is just 22. James Wiseman’s sophomore season will likely be erased due to injury, but the franchise is still holding out hope for the 20-year-old and former No. 2 overall pick. Considering Poole and Kuminga were competing in the G League 13 months ago, their ascents are reshaping the future for the entire franchise.
Poole scored a team-high nine points in the fourth quarter where the Warriors shot 64.7 (11-for-17) from the field as a team. Wiggins also had a strong second half en route to 22 points and Lee had his biggest contributions off the bench in weeks, dropping 22 points in 31 minutes. They each scored eight in the final period.
“This is a big game,” Wiggins said. “Miami is one of the best teams in the league. We went out there, competed and won the game. I feel like this one of the best games I’ve had in this little stretch. Just gotta carry it on and have that same mindset I did in the second half.”
