Warriors’ Trusted Veterans Lead Teams Best Victory in 2024-25 NBA-Season-NBC Sports Bay Area & California

On By Littum

San Francisco-a half hour before Wednesday’s tip-off was announced Warriors Rookie Quinten Post would get his first NBA start. Shortly after, it was clear that the game was not about Rookie.

Warriors’ 116-109 victory against Oklahoma City Thunder was about coach Steve Kerr’s trusted veterans. Those he has seen contribute to a championship on the biggest stage and the same players whose names have been in lots of rumors a week in front of the NBA trading deadline.

Steph Curry rose in the second half in 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting, all do and try behind the 3-point line after point trials in the first half. Daymond Green was exposed to bringing energy on the bench as he cares for a calf injury, and Klay Thompson no longer wears war colors.

Do you remember Run Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II continued in the 2022 NBA end game? That’s what happened to the thunder on Warriors’ home floor.

“These guys have been here for so long. I trust them, ”Kerr said of the three veterans above. “It’s just I think that a continuity and a confidentiality that I have with them, and vice versa. When we get that kind of performance collectively from this number of players, that’s what it takes. That’s kind of what the league is about these days.

“It’s about depth. It no longer feels like it’s about having three superstars. It’s more about how many really good players you can put out there, and they can collectively do it. That’s what happened tonight. ”

Wiggins, Looney and Payton combined to score 60 points. They had the best plus/minus on the team and went a total of 15 out of 17 from the Free Castle Line.

When Curry struggled to get rid of Oklahoma City’s correlating defense in the first half, Wiggins’ violation was ever important. Wiggins the first half scored 15 points, while the rest of the start of five spoke a total of eight points. His 27 points were a team high and now seven of his 16 games that scored 20-Plus points have come this month.

The more than 38 minutes that Wiggins played were his second most this season, and Warriors needed every second he could be on the field.

“We need Wiggs to be in an aggressive state he has been,” Payton said. “He’s been huge. Forty minutes? Yes, keep him out there. ”

Curry’s 21 points came in second place to Wiggins. The third leading goal scorer for Warriors could have been the biggest surprise of the night.

Looney’s 18 points tied a career high that matched his total against Atlanta Hawks on March 17, 2023. In his previous five games combined, Looney had scored 15 points. But against the thunder, the ultra-reliable Looney was effective around the edge and at the charity stripe, plus he also swung four shots away-Hans most since April 11 last season.

Kerr discussed between starter post or looney and went with rookie because of his ability to stretch the floor. In the second consecutive night, however, it was Looney who was first on the floor coming out of the break.

“Loon was fantastic,” Kerr said. “Probably the key to the game. … We knew we had Loon in our back pocket and he is always ready to play. “

No one pleases a quantity that is completely like curry. A distant second is the force in a poster -dunk. When someone on Payton’s 6-Foot-2 statue climbs up the ladder, the roof feels like it’s about to collapse to the benefit of dub nation.

When the clock was just about to go from minutes back in the game to seconds, Payton Okc’s defense caught surprised. A driving Dennis Schröder dumped the ball to a cut Payton who found imaginary stairs during flight and gambling a signature sludge of 7-foot Isaiah Hartenstein, the highest two points in his season high 15.

Play, set, match – GP2 road.

“It was just a good exclamation point to mitigate how we played tonight,” Payton said.

Curry doesn’t go anywhere. Everyone else around him is a question mark, a shoulder on their shoulders with their fate and future as a warrior possibly days away from becoming known.

A game is not and should probably not change how the front office is about their business. Still, there is no question that Warriors enjoyed their best victory of the season far on the back of Curry, saving his best in the second half, and a trio of trusted veterans who dulled it beyond the best in the West.

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