SAN FRANCISCO — You could feel the Warriors loosen the faucet midway through the fourth quarter on Tuesday.
After unsuccessfully trying to play catchup for most of the night, Golden State finally splashed its way back into contention with a 14-0 run that animated the crowd to decibel levels rarely reached at Chase Center.
Alas, Jordan Poole missed the Warriors’ last two shot attempts of the night as the Lakers scored the final five points in Tuesday’s 117-112 Game 1 win in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Poole’s last-minute struggles have been well documented this season – as he’s fumbled away games and made some costly turnovers in crunch time – but the Warriors don't feel that way about Tuesday's game.
Poole’s first late miss came with 41 seconds remaining and the shot clock expiring. He was actually able to blow by LeBron James on the perimeter but the threat of Anthony Davis altered his shot into an awkward lefty scoop. No bucket.
With about 15 seconds left in and the Warriors down by 3, Steph Curry was double teamed near halfcourt. The Warriors had two timeouts left and Kerr considered calling one, but was comfortable seeing Curry pass out of the double team to an open teammate. He passed to Draymond Green who quickly whipped it to Poole.
JP didn’t hesitate and pulled the slingshot from 27 feet, but it rimmed out. Kerr wasn’t upset with the late shot from Poole after the game.
“I knew somebody was going to be wide open if we could just get the ball out and Steph did a great job,” Kerr said. “He got the ball out of the trap and Jordan was wide open, and pretty good look, and you know, that's a shot he can hit. So really, happy with that possession, and again, Jordan hit his six threes already. So it's a great shot for us.”
Curry felt the same way, saying he had no problem with Poole’s late miss from distance.
“He had made six of ‘em tonight,” Curry said. “It was decisive and it was a shot he was open. Considering how they guarded us that possession - trapping me at halfcourt and Draymond swinging it over – it’s one of those where it’s kinda in a rhythm shot. I’m sure he felt pretty good about it, that’s why he shot it. There’s no doubt or regrets on that. It’s just a make-or miss situation. (I’ve got) a lot of trust in his ability to put the ball in the basket.”
As Kerr noted, Poole was 6-of-10 from 3-point land before the final heave after struggling through the first-round Kings series. He had a green light to shoot, it just didn’t fall. Poole finished the evening 7-of-15 from the field for 21 points, after being limited to just 12 points per game in the first round.
Poole sparked the Warriors offense in the first half with a quick nine-point barrage that featured a trio of three-pointers in 73 seconds. He also electrified the crowd with a 4-point play in the second quarter. JP also hit a late 3-pointer to bring the Warriors within three in the fourth quarter. With six assists and no turnovers, there weren’t many holes in Poole’s offensive game beyond the late misses.
“Thought he was really good," Draymond Green said. "I thought early on he passed up a couple and we need him to take those, and he started taking them and he was great. I think this will be a series that will go his way and that's great for us.”
The 23-year-old guard has been a lightning rod for scrutiny this season with this wild ball handling and late miscues, but he was more under control Tuesday. Klay Thompson has been Poole’s supporter from Day 1 and he remains squarely in JP’s corner.
“He played great,” Thompson said. “He kept us in it. He gave us a huge spark off the bench. Played fantastic. I know he's always going to bounce back, and he played just wonderful.”
