The Warriors were run off the court in one of their least competitive games since the start of the season, falling 130-104 to the Clippers in Los Angeles to open the second half of the season. Here are some takeaways:
James Wiseman disciplined, puts on a show in the fourth
It was clear that Steve Kerr wasn’t happy when he revealed that James Wiseman had missed a mandatory COVID test during the All-Star break, and that doing so put him in danger of missing Thursday’s game vs. the Clippers. Wiseman didn’t miss the game, but might as well have, after Kerr apparently decided to bench him for the first three quarters as discipline for the missed test. Wiseman finally entered at the beginning of the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, Golden State down 104-68.
Kerr did not reveal there would be any punishment for Wiseman before the game, instead just reporting that Wiseman would be able to play and was active. It’s fairly obvious Wiseman was being punished for the COVID test, considering Kerr said on multiple occasions before the All-Star break that he would like to play Wiseman more than the 20.8 minutes per game he averaged during the first half.
Thursday served as a lesson for the 19-year-old Wiseman, who by all accounts has been a model citizen in his first season with Golden State. It’s a lesson that seemed to get through, considering the youngster looked as dominant as he has during his fourth quarter stretch, dropping 14 points in 12 minutes on 6-for7 shooting. The Warriors outscored the Clippers by 10 points in his minutes, and he finished with the best plus-minus on the team. If the first half benching helps motivate Wiseman going forward, it was worth it. At least for one quarter, it seemed to.
Second unit disaster
The game was lost in the second quarter, when Kerr used an experimental new unit, made even more so with the absence of Wiseman. It was, in a word, a disaster.
Kerr started a backcourt of Nico Mannion and Jordan Poole, who impressed in the Warriors’ final game before the All-Star break, with a front court of Kelly Oubre, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Eric Paschall. The group entered the quarter down just two points, 28-26, and proceeded to get outscored 20-9 to start the quarter, a frame which ended with the Warriors being outscored 31-17.
The backcourt of Mannion and Poole doesn’t seem to work, but Kerr has yet to feel comfortable giving the reins to Poole as the backup point guard, even though he seemed to thrive in that role last year, and is a natural fit as a pick and roll partner with Wiseman. Brad Wanamaker struggled mightily in the first half of the season, but benching him may not be the move if Mannion is going to be the replacement.
It’s possible that Kerr will give the group another look with Wiseman against the Jazz on Sunday, a stint which could get ugly if it resembles what happened on Thursday night in any way.
Curry looked tired
And with all that, the tipping point was a rough night for Stephen Curry, who didn’t quite look like himself after putting on a show at the All-Star Game. Curry scored just 14 points, was 1-for-8 from 3-point range and the Warriors were a minus-19 with him on the floor. Curry has had to log heavy minutes and nearly all the load at times this season, and probably could’ve used an extended rest more than anybody during the All-Star break. So it goes as one of the faces of the league. He did have enough energy to try and inspire his teammates during the third quarter, in one of the most animated moments we’ve seen this season.
About as animated as you’ll see Steph Curry. Trying to get the Warriors going. https://t.co/W1eELu16Lm
— KNBR (@KNBR) March 12, 2021
It didn’t help that Clippers star Kawhi Leonard was unstoppable, scoring 28 points in 31 minutes with relative ease, going 10-for-17 and 5-for-8 from 3-point range. It was just one of those nights. Unfortunately there’s no respite. The Warriors play the NBA leading Utah Jazz (27-9) on Sunday.
