Fourth consecutive victory for the Warriors who found Stephen Curry this night to face the Wizards on their home turf. A return which did not harm Steve Kerr’s squad and which allowed the superstar leader to reassure everyone about the state of his ankle by signing 24 points and 6 assists.
Golden State was in the lead all game but had a little trouble outrunning Washington. First there was the good start of the Coulibaly-Poole pair, then the dunks of Johnny Davis and Carlton Carlington to stay in the game (18-24), then an 11-2 fueled by Alexandre Sarr and especially Jordan Poole just before the break to respond to the two dunks in a row from Trayce Jackson-Davis (45-51), run punished by Stephen Curry at the buzzer of the break (45-54).
Golden State, however, did not panic at all, relying on the Hield-Green pair from afar, an aerial Jonathan Kuminga and especially the return to form of Stephen Curry to recreate a more suitable gap (57-73) . There was notably a great passage at the end of the third quarter with 12 points and 2 assists in less than five minutes to show that he had lost none of his genius (80-93).
Enough to deter the Wizards? Not really ! The locals were indeed able to count on the unexpected contribution of their rookie Kyshawn George to reignite the suspense. The winger sent a 4/4 3-pointer to get his team back on track, Carlton Carrington’s 2+1 in the process bringing Washington to -5 (96-101)!
Here again, Golden State was able to manage without trembling, with a 3-pointer from Lindy Waters III, dunks from Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson, then a 3-pointer from Draymond Green in the corner to cool the assembly (104-116 ). The interior ended the suspense with a bright pass for Trayce Jackson-Davis’ dunk to guide his team to victory, 125 to 112.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Stephen Curry already hot. Back after three games of absence due to an ankle injury, the leader made a rather successful smooth return. He gained confidence by scoring the first basket of the match, a 3-pointer. Author of another 3-pointer at the half-time buzzer, he then stood out for his accuracy to finish as his team’s top scorer and passer. All this, almost without forcing.
– When Draymond Green and Jordan Poole meet again. About two years ago, Draymond Green caused an unexpected jolt when he punched teammate Jordan Poole. It’s been a while since then, but this is only the second time the two have met on an NBA court. Obviously, the atmosphere became tense when Poole found himself defending in the low post on Draymond Green. The latter stuck out his elbows without making a mistake, however forcing Jordan Poole to cut the opposition short by making a mistake. The Warriors’ interior also stood out with a “borderline” foul on Jonas Valanciunas, but also by the quality of his basketball IQ, without sparing the show like his blind pass for Jonathan Kuminga’s alley-oop . Booed by the Washington public when he entered the game in the last act, it was he who had the last word, notably with a 3-pointer in the corner in the “money-time” then a new alley-oop for Trayce Jackson-Davis.
– Evening by Kyshawn George. The other Wizards rookie offered an exciting end to the match for Wizards fans in a match generally dominated from A to Z by the Warriors. Author of a 0/6 from distance to start the match, the winger then followed up with a 6/7 to gradually bring his team to within 5 points of Golden State 8 minutes from the end. A good effort praised by the fans, even if Kyle Anderson was responsible for bringing it back down to earth by countering it during his next attempt. His record evening of 20 points, however, will remain in his young career, notably with 14 points scored in the fourth quarter alone! This is the best performance for a Washington rookie this season, ahead of Alexandre Sarr and Carlton Carrington.
– Delicate evening for the French Wizards. Even if he finished with a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) and added 3 blocks, Alex Sarr is still looking for skill (3/10 including 0/4 from distance). It was even more complicated for Bilal Coulibaly, with 9 points at 3/11 shooting and 3 lost balls.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
