Eight measly points. Double teams all night. Only seven shot attempts in 33 minutes.
Oftentimes, when Steph Curry has an evening like that, the Warriors are dead meat for their opposition. But on Saturday, the Warriors proved they’re not simply a Live-By-Curry-Die-By-Curry squad. Sure, the Milwaukee Bucks bottled up No. 30, but they couldn’t keep a lid on No. 11 or No. 3.
Like Steph said – it’s a pick-your-poison lineup when he’s sharing the floor with Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole. The Bucks might have won the battle against Curry, but the Warriors won the war, as Thompson (38 points) and Poole (30 points) splashed and sliced Golden State to a 122-109 victory. Against the defending champs, no less.
“It’s crazy when the MVP only has 8 points and we still win against a really, really, really good team,” Poole said.
The 22-year-old Poole, who grew up in the Milwaukee area, wouldn’t admit that he took extra satisfaction in getting the ‘W’ against his hometown team. He merely flashed a big smile when a reporter asked him after the game, but that’s all you needed to see.
Poole got a rare start alongside Curry and Thompson, as Warriors coach Steve Kerr anticipated the Bucks would dog Steph with elite defender Jrue Holiday and a steady stream of double teams. Instead of tabbing rookie wing Moses Moody, Kerr went with Poole in the starting lineup to introduce a secondary ball-handler behind Steph.
Kerr lauded Curry for his way to recognize the defense and dish out eight assists Saturday night.
“I thought Steph was perfectly patient tonight,” Kerr said.
As for Poole, he’s now riding a six-game heater where he’s averaged 24.8 points per game. Kerr said he’s often told Poole to aim higher for a Sixth Man of the Year role and that he has the potential to be an All-Star.
“For a young player, that’s amazing to hear from your head coach who is as legendary as he is,” Poole said. “It makes you wanna go out there and run through a brick wall for your coach and the rest of your team.”
While Poole’s been en fuego lately, it’s no secret that Klay’s been searching for his shot over the past couple of months. He was shooting just 34.2 percent from the floor and 23.3 percent from 3-point land over the previous four games before erupting Saturday.
We’ve seen flickers of his greatness – a 33-point game, a flurry here or a clutch bucket there – but Klay finally uncorked for an entire game. He dropped 21 in the first half and 17 in the second half, knocking down a season-high eight 3-pointers, along with six rebounds and five assists.
“Feels great,” Thompson said. “Does wonders for your confidence, for my confidence. I really wanted 40 points. Thirty-eight’s great, but 40 just sounds better. But whatever, it was a fun night at the office to say the least.”
Kerr said Thompson did a great job of not forcing any shots, like he’s been guilty of doing when he struggles. Not that Klay’s confidence ever wavered.
“Everybody makes a big deal about my shooting,” Thompson said. “I’m not happy with how I’m shooting, but I know these nights are within me. I just know. I’ve been in this league for so long and done too many great things that a lot of players haven’t done before to doubt myself. I was eager for a night like this, but a midseason shooting slump? It’s not going to kill my ego.”
Don’t forget about Andrew Wiggins, too. The slumping All-Star stayed aggressive and finished with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists on 8-of-16 shooting.
“This team is dangerous,” Wiggins. “We got a lot of guys, a lot of weapons.”
Most importantly, the Warriors survived what could have been their toughest stretch of the year: two-plus months without Draymond Green. On Saturday, Draymond was in street clothes with his son DJ on the Warriors bench. On Monday against the Washington Wizards, he'll be back in uniform after missing the past 29 games.
“I haven’t played with Steph and Dray in years,” Thompson said. “I’m really looking forward to that moment. I’ve been to the mountaintop with those guys, same with Andre [Iguodala]. I’m just really looking forward to that moment because we’ve been through so much together.”
