The Golden State Warriors lost for the Indiana Pacers 125-119 Wednesday night, falling to 2-13 on the road and drop both games one back to back. But our focus isn’t on the loss – it’s on Steph Curry’s shoulder. Hell receive in MRI on Thursday after leaving the game in the third quarter.
It’s hard to think too much about the game, but we have to note it. As always, the ratings are weighted according to our expectations for each player, with a “B” representing average performance.
Note: True Shot Percentage (TS) is a measure of scoring efficiency that takes into account three-point shots and free throws. Going into Wednesday’s games, the league average TS was 57.4%.
Draymond Green
27 minutes, 1 point, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 6 turnovers, 1 foul, 0 for 3 shots, 0 for 1 three, 1 for 2 free throws, 12.9% TS, +6
Green’s defense in the first quarter was absolutely phenomenal. It was a pleasure to watch. And after that, his game fell apart a bit, culminating in a fourth-quarter ejection after receiving two technical fouls.
Still, the defense has been really good throughout. The rest, unfortunately, was damn bad.
Rating: C-
Kevon Looney
21 mins, 4 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 fouls, 2-for-5 shooting, 40.0% TS, -10
Looney wasn’t bad, but struggled to impact the game. He didn’t start the second half, although that was less down to his performance and more to Steve Kerr trying to find lags to exploit.
He now has 79 assists for just 11 turnovers which is completely ridiculous.
Grade: C+
Steph Curry
30 minutes, 38 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 11 for 19 shots, 5 for 10 threes, 11 for 11 free throws, 79.7% TS, -6
For much of this game, Curry was the only thing keeping the Warriors afloat.
He had 15 points in the first quarter – more than he had in the entire game when the Dubs faced the Pacers last week. He had 27 points at halftime, as many as all of his teammates combined.
He seemed destined for a 50-point triple-double while putting the team on his shoulders and leading them to victory when no one else was looking for the challenge.
And then it became history for an entirely different reason.
Rating: A+/please, it’s ok Steph, please
Post-match bonus: Led the team in points and assists.
Donte Di Vincenzo
38 minutes, 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, shooting 4 for 10, 3 for 6 threes, 4 for 4 free throws, 63.8% TS, +19
DiVincenzo got his first start of the season and was absolutely sensational. He was one of the few players other than Curry to show up to play.
His energy has been a lifeline for the team lately. You see him in transition, on the half-court offense, on defense and when chasing rebounds. He regularly keeps his possessions alive and finds teammates for a good appearance. And his shot starts to fall!
It remains to be seen if the Warriors’ bench can become an asset, but if you’re wondering why the Warriors were interested in DDV this offseason, games like this should tell you exactly why.
Rating: A+
Post-match bonus: Tied for team leader in rebounds, led the team in over/under.
Jordan Poole
33 minutes, 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, 5 fouls, 8 for 22 shots, 1 for 7 threes, 3 for 3 free throws, 42.9% TS, +5
5/20/5 is fine. Poor efficiency/lots of turnovers/rough defense is not.
Rating: C-
Jonathan Kuminga
24 minutes, 9 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers, 3 fouls, 4 for 13, 0 for 1 3, 1 for 2 free throws, 32.4% TS, +2
After Curry and DiVincenzo, Kuminga brought the most energy to this match. His defense was pretty solid and he attacked the glass wonderfully. He made a few bad decisions on offense, but overall I thought his shot selection was much better than his efficiency would indicate. He just missed shots and was a little hampered by Myles Turner and Jalen Smith.
Category B-
Post-match bonus: Tied for team leader in rebounds.
Green Ja Mychal
19 minutes, 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, shooting 4 for 4, 3 for 3 threes, 4 for 6 free throws, 113.0% TS, -5
Green was pretty awful in the first half, but the second half was the best basketball we’ve seen him play since putting on a Dubs jersey. With compatriot Green ejected, JaMychal took over in the fourth quarter, raining down three after three while providing huge amounts of energy on the glass and defense.
The veteran was a sensational three-point shooter, but entered the game just 8 for 41 from range. A 3 for 3 night must have felt good.
Rating: A
Antoine Lamb
12 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 turnover, 1 foul, shooting 1 for 2, 0 for 1 three, 50.0% TS, -18
There are days Lamb looks like a role player revelation, and some days he looks like a player who hadn’t been given a spot in an NBA rotation until this year for some reason.
Wednesday was the last.
Rating: C-
You Jerome
13 mins, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 1-for-2 shot, 0-for-1 three, 50.0% TS, -20
Likewise, Jerome didn’t look like a player the Warriors would rush to find more minutes or convert to a guaranteed contract. He was a non-factor. Well, actually it was just a negative factor.
Rating: C-
Post-match bonus: The worst plus/minus of the team.
Moses Moody
23 mins, 13 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 5-for-6, 2-for-3 3, 1-for-1 free throws, 100.9% TS, -2
The Warriors probably want even more of Moody, as he remains fairly passive. He doesn’t rebound much and while he doesn’t make many mistakes on defense, he’s not an impact player either.
But when he hangs around and makes almost all his shots, while taking care of the ball and making a few great passes, they will take it with pleasure.
Rating: A-
Wednesday DNPs: Patrick Baldwin Jr.
Wednesday inactives: Andre Iguodala, Ryan Rollins, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman