Quinten Post, Steph Curry classified in Warriors win over Bulls

The Golden State Warriors gave us a little bit of a scare Thursday night, looking listless and disinterested as they fell behind the Chicago Bulls 20-6 early. And then they turn things around in a massive way, building a double-digit lead in the third quarter and turning things into a blowout early in the fourth quarter. The end result was a 131-106 win, one of the most fun games in recent memory and a coming-of-age party for a couple of youngsters.

As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance of that player.

Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for three-pointers and free throws. Entering Thursday’s game, TS was at league average 57.4%.

Andrew Wiggins

29 minutes, 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 4-for-11 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 8-for-8 free throws, 58.5% TS, +7

Oh, I sure love it when Wiggins plays offense with aggression, and that’s exactly what he did Thursday night. He was relentless attacking the hoop, forcing Chicago’s defense into plays, drawing contact and living at the free throw line (where he made all eight shots!).

This aggression showed up in his defense and his rebounding as well. A quiet fantastic game.

Grade: a-

Gary Payton II

11 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 1-for-3 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, 50.0% TS, -16

GPII got the start, but it didn’t go very well. His lack of offense hurts the dubs, and Chicago didn’t have any ball handlers who did enough damage for Payton’s defense to be used. As the second half began, Payton was on the bench.

Grade: C-
Bonus after the game: Worst plus/minus on the team.

Trayce Jackson-Davis

10 minutes, 4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 foul, 1-for-1 shooting, 2-for-2 free throws, 106.4% ts, -5

In a reversal of what happened Wednesday night, TJD got the start but was replaced by Kevon Looney at halftime. It’s unclear if that was because of how well the Warriors played when Looney was on the court or if Jackson-Davis’ ankle—which left him questionable entering the game—was acting up. Regardless, he did some great things on offense while not having his best game on defense. But all around, a solid performance.

Grade: b

Buddy Hield

19 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 1-for-7 shooting, 0-for-5 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, 20.2% TS, -2

A very rough shooting game for Hield, although he did a lot of little things well. Not good enough to compensate for the roughness of the shooting. It was just the 12th time in his career that he attempted at least five three-pointers without making one.

Grade: c

Steph Curry

31 minutes, 21 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 turnovers, 8-for-19 shooting, 5-for-12 threes, 55.3% TS, +4

If you need to know how well the bench played, well … I guess there aren’t many times in Curry’s career where he’s just a +4 in a 25-point win. Curry played well, though, quarterbacking the offense and steadying the ship late in the game to make sure there wouldn’t be another late-game collapse like there was in Sacramento.

I’d also give him a half-length boost for also playing in a back-to-back, something he hadn’t done since November 22nd and 23rd.

Grade: b
Bonus after the game: Led team in points, tied for team lead in assists.

Kevon Looney

19 minutes, 4 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 fouls, 2-for-7 shooting, 28.6% TS, +17

Great defense, great rebounding, great effort, great screens, great toughness. I love Kevon Looney.

Grade: a-
Bonus after the game: Led the team in rebounds.

Gui Santos

27 minutes, 19 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 7-for-10 shooting, 5-for-6 threes, 95.0% TS, +31

Not to like…spoil the surprise or anything…but…Overall…I don’t think Santos was a flash in the pan. I think he’s a pretty good basketball player who will be a very big talking point for the Warriors for the foreseeable future.

Of course he wants to cool down. He is 18-for-39 on three-pointers, including 9-for-11 in the last two nights. But other than that, this looks sustainable. He has a beautiful shooting stroke, his defense has been great, his instincts are strong, he fits the system and he works his ass off every possession.

This guy is amazing.

Grade: A+

Moses Moody

25 minutes, 16 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, 2 fouls, 6-for-10 shooting, 4-for-7 threes, 80.0% TS, +33

Moody gets a lot of playing time with the Warriors, who have so many injuries. And you can see the confidence growing. The way he catches and shoots just oozes confidence and it bleeds into other parts of his game. He passed the ball like a confident point guard. He blocked shots (four in 25 minutes!) like he’s been doing it since day one. It was one of the best games he’s ever played and you can see him realizing he belongs.

Grade: A+
Bonus after the game: Best plus/minus on the team.

Dennis Schroeder

20 minutes, 11 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 4-for-11 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 46.3% TS, +27

I still expect Schröder to return to the starting lineup at some point, and think he’s largely in the reserve role to take pressure off him while he acclimates to his new team and system. But it’s great to see him run the second unit, which he did really well on Thursday, even if he didn’t score effectively and had a few poor mistakes.

Grade: b
Bonus after the game: Tied for the team lead in assists.

Brandin Podziemski

21 minutes, 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 4-for-6 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, 83.3% TS, +22

Oh, it was great to see Podz back on the field after a 12-game injury layoff! He looked recharged and like he had learned from some of his early season games. He ran the offense well, made shots and had his typical pesky defense (he even drew a charge, because of course he did).

Just wonderful to have him back.

Grade: B+

Quinten Post

20 minutes, 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 7-for-12 shooting, 5-for-10 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, 80.4% TS, +13

And now we arrive at our star at night. We all know Post’s story. The 52nd pick in June’s draft. On a two-way contract. Entered this game after playing in just five NBA games and logging just 41 minutes. Had never played with Steph Curry, in a game, walkthrough or practice, until Wednesday’s game.

And in his second such game, he struck out. Holy smokes he called out. I was really impressed with his defense and how well he moved his feet, although he will have to adjust to NBA speed and whistles to avoid fouls. He looked comfortable on the perimeter. He kept offensive rebounds alive and put a body on bulls to let teammates grab the boards. He had a good touch around the rim.

And did I mention the five made triangles into a seven foot thing???

Welcome to the Warriors, Quinten. You are now part of the rotation, and a damn fun part, I might add.

Grade: A++

Lindy Waters III

6 minutes, 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1-for-3 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 50.0% ts, -1

Just a little garbage time for Waters, whose spot in the rotation is likely mostly gone now that Podziemsi and Payton are healthy. However, he is needed again at some point. That’s how it always goes.

Character: incomplete

Pat Spencer

3 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 0-for-2 shooting, 0.0% ts, -5

Just a little trash time for Spencer too.

Character: incomplete

Thursday’s inactives: Kyle Anderson, Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga