What we learned as Waters plays hero in Warriors preseason win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
HONOLULU, Hawaii – After four days of training camp at BYU-Hawaii, the Warriors ventured to the University of Hawaii on Saturday and brought fireworks to their preseason opener, beating the Los Angeles Clippers 91-90 on a game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointer. by Lindy Waters III.
“What a great way to end a great week,” coach Steve Kerr said after the win.
Outside of Waters, shooting has not been the Warriors’ strong point. Leading 53-49 at halftime, the Warriors shot 37.3 percent from the floor through the first two quarters and just 20 percent (5 of 25) behind the 3-point line. The numbers also got worse as the game went on. Overall, the Warriors shot 33.7 percent and 22.9 percent from three (11 of 48).
Steph Curry, who sat the entire second half and played a total of 14 minutes, could not give the fans the kind of show they saw. He scored nine points to lead the Warriors in the first half, but was 2-of-8 shooting and missed all four of his 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, Curry was a perfect 5 of 5.
The Warriors are pushing to become a top defensive team again, and there have been flashes of that in spurts. Before halftime, the Warriors already had nine steals and scored 20 points from 14 turnovers. They finished with 14 steals and seven blocked shots while holding the Clippers to 38.5 percent shooting and 22.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Waters was the hero of the day, making five 3-pointers, including four in the fourth quarter.
“Man, shout out to Lindy Waters,” De’Anthony Melton said. “I knew from the jump that Lindy was going to hit some big shots tonight. I told him I needed at least four threes tonight. … Lindy came out there firing and I’m proud of him.”
Kerr added: “He’s a really good shooter, but he’s more than just a shooter. He’s got good size, he’s not just a guy. As you saw on that last one, he came out pin-down. So he’s a good movement shooter, but he also understands the game well. We are really glad to have him.
“We liked him in the past when we played against him. [Warriors general manager] Mike [Dunleavy] did a great job finding him and trading for him. He definitely has the skills to play our style.”
Here are three takeaways from a thrilling first win off the Warriors’ preseason slate.
Initial lineup
All week, Kerr wouldn’t give the slightest hint as to who would start the preseason opener with Andrew Wiggins out because he’s still under the weather. Wiggins wore a mask on Saturday and was on the sideline during the Warriors’ win.
When the Warriors scrimmaged Friday and had a group of Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green, it looked like that could be the first five on the floor. Kerr then warned reporters not to assume anything, and it turns out he wasn’t joking.
The starting five were Curry, Melton, Kuminga, Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis. The first results were not great.
“Not great, but it’s preseason for everybody,” Kerr said. “We didn’t really have a good pace coming out – a slow start. But it’s still good to get those five guys on the floor and see what that looks like.”
They played the first seven minutes together and found themselves in a 17-12 hold before Kerr turned to his bench.
Melton scored eight points on 3-of-7 shooting in just 12 minutes.
Green, who like Curry and Melton did not play the second half, had two points, two steals, one rebound and one assist, but also two turnovers and three fouls. Kuminga’s seven rebounds led the Warriors, and he also scored seven points. Jackson-Davis added four points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal, but was the only starter with a negative plus/minus (minus-2).
While Kerr claimed to see Kuminga, whose plus-4 was best among starters, as a power forward more than a small forward, he says he will continue to try him alongside Green and Jackson-Davis.
“Yeah, we want to keep looking at it,” Kerr said. “Obviously all three guys are talented players and you want to be able to play your best players together, but it has to click. We’ll keep trying.”
Find Combinations
It was not one or two players who first came off the bench, but five completely new ones. That second unit was Podziemski, Gary Payton II, Hield, Kyle Anderson and Kevon Looney. Immediately, Looney blocked a shot and the group went on a 5-0 run to tie the game.
Moses Moody went in for the final five seconds after those five outscored the Clippers 14-6 to take a 26-23 lead after the first quarter.
“Loon comes in and immediately does what he does,” Kerr said. “He just makes things happen. It’s never going to get a title — setting a screen, helping defensively — but he helps you win.”
To start the second half, Kerr went with Podziemski, Hield, Moody, Kuminga and Jackson-Davis. That’s what this training camp was about, like the rest of the preseason: Finding who fits best with who.
“We had so many different combinations out there,” Kerr said. “I liked Gary’s performance defensively, Melton too, BP. We have guys that can disrupt offenses and turn that defense into an offense for us.”
Moody Makes His Case
The preseason opener was another example of the numbers game being a difficult situation for Moodyas well as how he can force Kerr’s hand. Despite missing almost all of the first quarter, Moody’s eight first-half points were second only to Curry. He ended up scoring 12 points in 13 minutes on 4-of-9 shooting and made two of his five 3-point attempts.
His plus-14 was a game-high as he added four rebounds – three offensive – two steals, one assist and one block.
What made Kerr happiest was Moody shooting without hesitation and making quick decisions, the two areas he emphasized the most for Moody’s growth.
“He’s done a really good job in camp of just getting the shot quickly and making that priority No. 1,” Kerr said. “He’s a really good shooter, and he’s at the point now in his career where he feels where the end is. I think early in his career he was more hesitant. But the offense flows a lot smoother when he’s just catching and shooting, and I love when he does what he’s been doing all week.”
Next up for the Warriors is a showdown in Sacramento against the Kings on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center.
