DETROIT — Jordan Poole received his challenge, and it was a lofty one.
“I need 50!” yelled an acquaintance of the third-year guard out of Michigan from the courtside seats near the Warriors bench. “I got you,” replied Poole, who appeared he might just reach that mark before settling for a season-high 32 to carry the undermanned Warriors to a 105-102 win over the Pistons.
Down a quartet of key players, the Warriors relied on Poole and Andrew Wiggins to carry the offensive load and return home from a four-game road trip with three wins and a 14-2 record, still on top of the NBA.
It was evident the fans inside Little Caesars Arena were disappointed not be treated to another spectacle from Steph Curry, who missed his first game of the season while nursing a bruised left hip; the arena erupted in cheers when the Warriors’ bruised-up superstar emerged from the tunnel a few minutes into the game.
It was equally clear that the Warriors were going to need to rely on Poole and Wiggins to carry the offensive load, with Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Otto Porter Jr. all out with various bumps and bruises.
With Poole and Wiggins teaming up, there was no contest. The Warriors raced out to a 17-4 lead with the duo combining for 14 of those points, but Chris Chiozza subbed in for Poole around the 5 minute mark, and Golden State’s lead evaporated.
The Warriors didn’t regain control until Poole subbed back in, alongside Wiggins, for the final stretch of the first half, when they Warriors mounted a 16-6 run. With the two of them on the court, Golden State outscored Detroit 59-38, but when either left the floor, the Pistons had a 64-46 advantage.
Wiggins’ newfound aggressiveness continued into its sixth game.
After his breakout game against Minnesota, Wiggins hasn’t attempted fewer than 11 shots in any of the past seven contests and only scored fewer than 15 in one game. He turned in his fourth 20-point performance of the season Friday with 26 on 9-of-16 shooting; all but one have come in the past seven games.
As for the 22-year-old guard from Milwaukee via the University of Michigan, nobody has embodied the peaks and valleys of a talented young player more than Poole.
After a three-game stretch where he led the Warriors in scoring each contest, Poole hadn’t topped 20 for the past six games. On Friday, he reached that mark by halftime, the fourth time in his career he’s dropped 20 in a half.
