Why Wiggins vs. SGA is a matchup to watch in Warriors-Thunder originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Post getting a warning shot two nights agothe Warriors will face the real deal on Wednesday night.
And if that wasn’t enough, they will have to face the challenge without Stephen Curry, who was declared out Wednesday afternoon with pain in both knees.
The warning shot came from Brooklyn point guard Dennis Schroder, who lit up the Warriors for 31 points and seven assists to lead the Nets to a 128-120 victory at Chase Center.
The real deal is Oklahoma City point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexanderwho was voted first-team All-NBA in each of the past two seasons. He leads the Thunder (13-4), who sit atop the Western Conference, in the Chase to face the second-place Warriors (12-5), who are one game back in the standings.
With Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 29.2 points per game (fifth in the NBA), the Warriors will rely on their typical scheme against elite offensive scorers. They go after him with three or four defenders, with Andrew Wiggins expected to be primary. Gary Payton II and Moses Moody will be in the rotation. If Jonathan Kuminga is allowed to play – he has missed the last two games with illness – he will also have opportunities.
There are games when the Warriors reeeaaally will miss De’Anthony Melton’s defensive prowessand this is such a match.
Golden State, with Melton starting at shooting guard on Nov. 10, is responsible for one of Gilgeous-Alexander’s least efficient games this season. He scored 24 points but shot 6-of-17 from the field, including 0-of-2 from beyond the arc. SGA’s total was boosted by 7-of-7 shooting from the line.
No less crucial to the Warriors’ success is that Gilgeous-Alexander struggled to find a rhythm after center Chet Holmgren, equally adept at pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop, exited after sustaining a serious hip injury in the first a quarter Golden State forced SGA into four turnovers. It’s not an outrageous number, but the Thunder are 2-3 when he commits at least four turnovers.
How did Gilgeous-Alexander respond after losing to the Warriors? In the seven games since, he has averaged 33.6 points on 53.7 percent shooting from the field, including 47.5 percent from distance.
Simply put, SGA will be a tough challenge to conquer.
