SAN FRANCISCO – When Jordan Poole rattled off 17 straight games of scoring at least 20 points in the regular season, it shouldn’t have been viewed as a fluke stretch of production. Instead, it looks like it could have just been a preview of the rest of his All-Star career.
We’re only two games deep into Poole’s playoff career, but he’s looking like a primetime postseason performer. After scoring 30 points in his playoff debut on Saturday, Poole followed it up with an impressive 29-point effort in Monday’s 126-106 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the Western Conference first round matchup
When watching Poole slice and splash, you can’t help but think about Steph Curry’s game. The third-year guard also dished out eight assists and had just two turnovers.
“I’m lucky to be able to watch him every single day and watch him in film and kind of add those aspects to my game,” Poole said.
You could tell he was really in his bag when he busted out this ridiculous step-back on Boogie Cousins in the third quarter.
While Poole put together his efficient evening, so did Steph. Curry dropped 34 points in just 23 minutes and racked up an eye-popping +32 in plus-minus.
“I think it’s really hard for the defense just because we are both playmakers and we both play on the ball and we can also play off the ball,” Poole said. “Just trying to put the defense in a lot of tough situations to make a lot of different decisions."
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Once again, the potent five-man lineup (that still needs a nickname – Lethal Lineup? Pick-your-poison Lineup?) of Poole, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins helped cradle the game’s momentum in the second quarter. The 22-7 run loomed large in the victory, as the Warriors turned an eight-point deficit into a seven-point lead and never felt threatened after that.
“It’s passer’s paradise for me,” Green said after the game. “You have those three guys (Curry/Thompson/Poole) out there at the same with me as a passer, for me that’s heaven. Then the one ‘weak’ shooter out there, around me, with that group is Wiggins and I think he shot 37 percent from three or something like that. For me, you can’t ask for anything more on the offensive end, any more options, than that. So yeah, I like it a lot.”
All of this begs the question – who’s gonna be benched when Steph eventually returns to the starting lineup? At this point, wing Andrew Wiggins might be shifted into a sixth-man role, because it’s hard to imagine not starting Steph (when healthy) and Poole. Perhaps center Kevon Looney could come off the bench with the way Draymond has been able to challenge Jokic.
“At some point, I’m sure they are both going to be starting together,” Green said of Poole and Curry. “I won’t be the one to cause myself that headache. (Coach) Steve (Kerr) can figure that one out.”
