What we learned as Wiggins fuels Warriors comeback win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen Curry had 23 points and eight assists as the Warriors won their fifth straight home game, downing the Atlanta Hawks 120-97 at Chase Center on Wednesday.
Andrew Wiggins scored 27 points to go with seven rebounds as Golden State bounced back from heartbreaking loss to the Los Angeles Clippers two days earlier. Trayce Jackson-Davis added 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Draymond Green had another rubber night of everything (nine points, seven rebounds, nine assists, 1 steal, two blocks) for coach Steve Kerr’s squad.
The Western Conference-leading Warriors improved to 11-3 and will face three beatable teams in the coming days. After road games against the New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs, Golden State returns home to play the Brooklyn Nets on Monday before facing conference contenders Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets followed by back-to-back games against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Chase Center.
At one point, it looked like it could be a daunting stretch for the Warriors. Now it looks like just another chance for Golden State to add to what is already a promising season.
Golden State certainly came out in top form against Atlanta despite finding out earlier in the day that guard De’Anthony Melton would. undergo season-ending knee surgery.
Even without Melton, the Warriors had it pretty easy against the Hawks.
Golden State led by 31, had one of its best shooting nights of the season (47 of 100) and dished out 36 assists.
About the only thing that went wrong was when second-year guard Brandin Podziemski — who wore a protective mask earlier in the season after suffering a broken nose — was hit in the face early in the fourth quarter and remained down for several moments before leaving . the court slowly. Kerr said after the game X-rays on the injury were negative.
The Warriors got off to a fast start, dropping a season-high 41 points on the Hawks in the first quarter. Buddy Hield had eight points during the opening burst, but it was Curry, of course, who provided the signature moment when he made a basket by dropping to the floor and was fouled then completed the three-point play.
Golden State took a 67-42 advantage into halftime and maintained the 15-point lead going into the fourth quarter before coasting to the win.
Here are the prescriptions for Wednesday’s game:
Waters Get First Crack At Splashing
After liking what he saw from Lindy Waters III in previous weeks, Kerr gave the fourth-year pro the first chance to replace Melton in the starting lineup. Waters, who was solid both coming off the bench and in a starting role during the 2024 season, scored 10 points and was plus-16 in 23 minutes.
Waters scored the Warriors’ first points of the night on a sweet baseline floater, then spent most of his first shift defending. Hawks point guard Trae Young. Young took just one shot in the first quarter en route to a 4 of 12 shooting night.
All of that should be enough to keep Waters in the lineup, though Kerr said before the game that Podziemski could also factor into the equation.
Melton finally found his rhythm with Golden State on both ends when he got hurt, so his absence will be tough to overcome no matter who Kerr turns to.
Bounce Night For Bench
The Warriors have the best set of reserves in the NBA and, after an off night facing the Clippers two nights earlier, the bench group of Golden State was back on point in the victory over the Hawks.
Led by the combo of Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors’ bench outscored the Hawks 37-36. The way Golden State’s starters scored, the bench wasn’t as big a factor as it was, but it was still encouraging to see them do what they do best.
At this rate, it’s very possible that the Warriors will challenge for the title of best bench of all time. The 2018-19 Los Angeles Clippers hold the NBA record for highest bench average at 53.2 points per game. Golden State went into Wednesday’s game averaging an NBA-leading 56.4 points.
Doing It With Defense
As much as the Warriors have been known for their offensive fireworks, they turn out to be a very good team defensively – a point that was driven home emphatically against the Hawks.
Atlanta was held 19 points below its season average of 116, shot just 35 of 105 from the field (12 of 46 3-pointers) and committed 17 turnovers that led to 22 points for Golden State.
