Well. That was certainly a night of basketball. A whole lot happened on Wednesday. The Golden State Warriors fell behind the Houston Rockets by 15 points at the end of the first quarter, then came roaring back to tie it. Steph Curry missed most of the game with an abdominal injury that required an MRI. Charles Bassey was punched by Marcus Smart. And the Warriors saw their eight-game winning streak come to a halt, losing 115-108 to a Rockets team that was significantly healthier.
So year. Busy Wednesday!
You can’t fault the Warriors for losing, given all of that. But grades still need to be handed out, so here they are. As is always the case, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Wednesday’s games, league-average TS was 57.2%.
Yaxel Lendeborg
36 minutes, 25 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 9-for-19 shooting, 2-for-7 threes, 5-for-8 free throws, 55.5% TS, -15
It’s a testament to Lendeborg that the Warriors lost Curry and still overcame a deficit to give themselves a chance to win. It’s a testament to Lendeborg that, even with Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Fred VanVleet, and Alperen Şengün on the other side, he comfortably led both squads in scoring. It’s a testament that, in the on-court post-game interview, ESPN decided to ask Durant about Lendeborg specifically. And it’s a testament that Durant called him a “problem,” meant clearly as a compliment.
Just another 25 and 10 for Lendeborg, as those numbers are very near his season averages, and mark the third double-double of his young career.
Lendeborg was solid through and through, and then some. The biggest issue with his game was that, for the first time, his jumper didn’t look good. The threes he missed were really clanked, and he didn’t look all that comfortable at the free throw line, either. But as has been the case all year, his resolve, patience, and savvy were stunning. A misaligned jumper neither scared him from scoring, nor made him press. He just kept making the right play, and attacking.
It wasn’t a very good playmaking game for him, in part because Houston’s length and athleticism seemed to bother him a bit … not in a way that was at all concerning, but just in a “oh yeah, they don’t make them like that in the Big 10” way. On the flip side, his defense was pretty spectacular in this game, both on his opening assignment of Jabari Smith Jr., and also on the many possessions where he was matched up with Durant. Speaking of which, those two put on a show in the second quarter, with Lendeborg going toe to toe with one of the greatest scorers in league history.
He’s a whole lot of fun, isn’t he?
Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points and rebounds.
Draymond Green
27 minutes, 7 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 3-for-5 shooting, 1-for-1 threes, 70.0% TS, -20
As long as we’re talking about great defensive performances … Draymond Green, folks. What a defender. Green drew an opening assignment on Durant, someone he has historically guarded very well (relatively speaking … great offense beats great defense, and KD is great offense). Dray did a tremendous job on KD (who still dropped in 20 points, it’s worth noting), and it was just so much fun to watch one of this generation’s top scorers go at one of this generation’s top defenders. Don’t take it for granted!
And here’s your latest update on how in control Green has been to start the year: 75 assists, 29 turnovers, 32 shot attempts.
Incredible.
Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists; tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.
Al Horford
21 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 3 fouls, 1-for-7 shooting, 0-for-5 threes, 14.3% TS, -10
Not the best night for Big Al. He got his first start of the year so that Golden State could have some extra size against a huge Houston squad. He struggled a bit against Şengün, and really couldn’t get anything going of his own on offense. He didn’t have any bad plays, per se, but it wasn’t an impactful game on the glass or on defense for him which, when paired with a jump shot that wasn’t landing, made for a fairly poor game.
Grade: C-
Brandin Podziemski
37 minutes, 19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 6-for-14 shooting, 3-for-10 threes, 4-for-5 free throws, 58.6% TS, -20
Like Lendeborg, Podziemski was a huge part of why the Warriors were able to crawl back into the game even with their superstar ruled out. He seemed to always have a big shot up his sleeve when the team needed it most … which is something we’ve really grown accustomed to with Podz.
As with all his teammates, Podziemski had a huge challenge with his opening assignment, as he was defensively matched up against Thompson. He performed admirably at times, though there’s only so much you can do when the player you’re tasked with stopping is significantly larger than you and arguably the best athlete in the entire league. Sometimes you just gotta tip your cap.
Still, a nice game from Podz.
Grade: B+
Post-game bonus: Tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.
Steph Curry
6 minutes, 3 points, 1 turnover, 1-for-3 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, 50.0% TS, -9
Curry played fewer than six minutes, but those minutes were more physical than any other game he’s played this year. He had hard collisions with Rockets players on numerous occasions, and hit the deck hard on a few others. Nothing dirty, just strong, physical, high-quality defense of which he became collateral damage. He left halfway through the first quarter holding his side, and was ruled out for the rest of the game with abdominal soreness. We’ll hold our breath as we wait for the results of his MRI.
Grade: Just please be OK
Gui Santos
12 minutes, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 4 turnovers, 0-for-3 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 0.0% TS, +7
Santos’ stats look quite bad. He didn’t score, and he turned the ball over four times in a relatively short amount of time. He had some really nice possessions and plays though, especially on the defensive end. But the Rockets, like many athletic teams, just gave Santos too many fits, and a turnover every three minutes just won’t fly.
Grade: C-
De’Anthony Melton
25 minutes, 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 3-for-7 shooting, 3-for-7 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 69.8% TS, -8
Melton is such a key contributor off of the bench, but really, games like this are where his true value is felt. Sure, running the second unit is important, but it’s absolutely critical that the Dubs have a strong veteran presence to step in when Curry is unavailable. As soon as Curry left the court, Melton’s role grew bigger, so much so that he was in the starting five for the second half.
And while no one can do a Steph impression, Melton certainly filled in admirable. He ran the offense better than the three assists would suggest, and made a trio of important threes to keep the Dubs in the game. His defense was once again strong, and he steadied a ship that was at risk of tipping.
In other words, he earned his paycheck with this game.
Grade: B+
Charles Bassey
12 minutes, 7 points, 6 rebounds, 1 block, 1 foul, 3-for-4 shooting, 1-for-2 free throws, 71.7% TS, +2
Let’s start with the most impressive thing: Bassey had a punch thrown at his face by Smart and walked away unbothered. His reflexes were, thankfully, fast enough that the violent punch ended up being a glancing blow rather than landing squarely, but even so, you would not only excuse, but expect a player to react angrily when another player throws a haymaker at their face. No one would be blaming Bassey if he went right back at Smart for that inexcusable move, but can you imagine the ramifications of if he did? A full-on fight could have broken out, which could have resulted in Bassey and possibly some teammates getting ejected, or even suspended. And with the amount of sidelined players the Dubs currently have, they simply could not have afforded that.
Bassey walked away like nothing happened, and he deserves so much praise for that. It’s not easy to turn the other cheek, especially in the heart of competition, but Bassey did exactly that.
He also played a damn good basketball game, which I suppose is also fairly important.
Grade: A
Georges Niang
19 minutes, 5 points, 5 rebounds, 1-for-7 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 2-for-3 free throws, 30.1% TS, -12
I do not think that Niang would have walked away from being punched by Smart, but you know what? It takes all kinds. The Warriors contain multitudes, and we love that about them.
Not the best game for Niang, who suffered a bit both from playing such an athletic team, and from not getting to share the court with Curry, as those two have really developed quite a rapport (and Niang greatly benefits from the spacing that Curry’s gravity creates). He had good rebounding and okay defense, but not much else.
Grade: C
Will Richard
19 minutes, 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 3-for-6 shooting, 2-for-3 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, 65.4% TS, -2
Richard deserves a whole lot of credit for his toughness. He missed just one game due to UCL sprain in his thumb, when I assumed he’d miss a few weeks, and possibly a few months. Would Richard have taken the time off for surgery or a longer healing process if the Warriors were not so banged up? Who knows. Either way, it showed great toughness that he was out there on the court with his teammates.
And you certainly wouldn’t know he was hurting by his performance. His defense was excellent, and he was so aggressive on offense. He’s really started attending the Gary Payton II school of cutting, and his jump shot looks great this year as well. Strong game.
Grade: A-
LJ Cryer
18 minutes, 13 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 fouls, 4-for-9 shooting, 3-for-8 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 65.8% TS, +15
For the second game in a row, Cryer was called into emergency duty after a guard got injured. On Monday it was Brandon Williams; on Wednesday it was Curry. He was okay in that last-minute role change against the New Orleans Pelicans, but he was excellent against the Rockets. He came into the game in the first quarter and immediately made a difference on offense, with some aggressive dribbling and some slick shooting. His offense really is quite impressive, and while the two-way contract is buried on the depth chart, it’s clear that his coaches and teammates trust him, and that he has a lot to offer.
Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.
Graham Ike
4 minutes, 4 points, 1 assist, 1 foul, 1-for-2 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 69.4% TS, +11
A little garbage time for Ike, though he played a huge role in trying to make it no longer garbage time.
Grade: Incomplete
Malevy Leons
4 minutes, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 foul, 0-for-1 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 0.0% TS, +11
Two blocks in less than four minutes! Impressive stuff in a short burst of garbage time for Leons.
Grade: Incomplete
Wednesday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, Kristaps Porziņģis, Brandon Williams
