Heading into the opening contest of a two-game back-to-back series against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Golden State Warriors were forced to feature a shorthanded lineup. With James Wiseman, Eric Paschall and Steph Curry ruled out against the Grizzlies; the Warriors needed someone to step up.
Andrew Wiggins answered the bell, scoring a season-high 40 points on 14-of-24 shooting from the field to lead the Warriors to an impressive 116-103 victory in Memphis. Along with his best scoring performance since joining the Warriors, Wiggins added eight rebounds, four assists and four steals in 34 minutes.
While Wiggins led the Warriors in scoring, Draymond Green was everywhere else against the Grizzlies. Although he only scored two points, Green tallied 13 assists and 11 rebounds.
With Curry’s status doubtful for Saturday’s rematch, the Warriors will need to lean on Wiggins and Green again in the second leg of a road back-to-back against the Grizzlies.
Jordan Poole
After a flurry of impressive performances off the bench since his return from the G League bubble, Jordan Poole was called on to start in place of Curry. In his first appearance of the season in the starting lineup, the second-year guard did not disappoint.
Poole continued his steady run, recording 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the floor with two assists and two rebounds in 34 minutes. The Michigan product drilled three 3-pointers on six attempts from deep.
Kevon Looney
With a thin rotation in the frontcourt due to Wiseman’s absence, Kevon Looney turned in one of his best performances of the season. The UCLA product registered 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting with four boards, three assists and three steals in 21 minutes. Looney showed off some range, stepping out to hit a triple in the first quarter.
Looney’s 11 point effort against the Grizzlies was his third time scoring in double-figures during the 2020-21 season.
Damion Lee
With Poole in the starting lineup, Damion Lee served as a catalyst off the bench for Golden State against Memphis. Lee helped charge Kerr’s thin second unit, scoring 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field with two boards, an assist and a steal in 28 minutes.
