I’ve said this a few times, but this time I actually mean it: that was the win of the year for the Golden State Warriors. They hit the road to face the 38-22 Houston Rockets, who had won four of their last five games. The Warriors were without Steph Curry, without Jimmy Butler III, without Kristaps Porziņģis, without Moses Moody, without Will Richard, and without Gary Payton II.
Somehow, they won, escaping Texas with a 115-113 overtime win that was as entertaining as it was impressive. And I’ll put
my stamp on it now: whenever the season comes to a close, this will be the win of the year.
So let’s grade the 10 players — which included all three two-way contracts and a player who began the year on a two-way contract — who shocked the Rockets. As always, 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 Thursday’s games, league-average TS was 57.9%.
Gui Santos
42 minutes, 14 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 7 turnovers, 1 foul, 6-for-12 shooting, 0-for-4 threes, 2-for-4 free throws, 50.9% TS, +20
This was far from a perfect game for Santos. He netted a donut from deep, and he had seven turnovers. But my goodness the bad doesn’t come close to the good.
His 41 minutes and 37 seconds of action were the most by a Warriors player in a game this season, and I feel quite comfortable saying that if he played a minute fewer, the Warriors don’t win. Despite playing such a gaudy minutes total, he was still a ball of Dani Rojas-esque energy to the final buzzer … and in fact, in the final seconds when the Warriors were desperately trying to add to a one-point lead, it was Santos who kept De’Anthony Melton’s missed shot alive, extending the possession that would ultimately result in a bucket.
Santos played phenomenal defense, and he had huge plays throughout the night. When the Warriors lost momentum at the end of the first half, Santos made wild driving layups on both ends of a two-for-one to right the ship.
That contract is already looking like a steal, and this is one of the very few times where I give someone a great grade when they have a huge number of turnovers and score with below-average efficiency.
Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team
Draymond Green
35 minutes, 10 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 4-for-6 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, 77.6% TS, +12
A vintage Draymond game. He was a dog on defense, and played Kevin Durant about as well as you possible can. He conducted the offense, moving the chess pieces around brilliantly while getting the team into the system. He was an emotional leader, disrupting Houston while motivating his teammates, especially the younger ones.
If anyone wants to argue with this grade, well … I’ll leave you with this.
Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.
Al Horford
33 minutes, 17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 7-for-15 shooting, 3-for-6 threes, 56.7% TS, +7
The old man still got it. And Al, by the off chance that you read this, please don’t take that the wrong way … I ain’t far behind ya.
The Rockets are so young, and so athletic, and so rangy, and Horford didn’t seem to care. His excellent defense played from opening tip to the final buzzer of overtime, while he also steadied the offense with both his passing and his scoring. He had one of the biggest shots of the game, a shot clock-beating three with 45 seconds remaining in regulation, and the Warriors down a point. In overtime and nursing a one-point lead, he took Amen Thompson into the post and drained a jump hook over him with 39 seconds remaining.
So impressive.
Grade: A
D’Anthony Melton
30 minutes, 23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 10-for-22 shooting, 2-for-6 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, 50.3% TS, +8
Melton had a few tough plays in this game. There were moments where he went through slumps, hence the low efficiency. He committed an awful foul on Durant shooting a three in the waning moments. And he had a brutal turnover late in overtime: on the first possession after returning to the game, and nursing a five-point lead, he turned the ball over at midcourt, leading to an Amen Thompson fastbreak, which ultimately led to a four-point play (Thompson was fouled, missed the second free throw, and the Rockets got the offensive rebound, with Durant draining a three).
But the big plays were big. So big. Everything’s bigger in Texas big. He had 10 points in the first quarter as the Dubs made a statement that they were going to be competitive in the game. And with less than 10 seconds remaining in overtime, and a one-point lead in hand, Melton got into the paint for a good look at the rim. He missed the shot, but after Santos kept the ball alive, Melton was able to get a second chance, and banked it home to give the Warriors a three-point advantage. He also drained a huge three to beat the shot clock with 1:19 left in regulation, and the Warriors trailing by two.
Add in the sensational defense, and it was a very good game for Melton, despite some glaring miscues.
Grade: B+
Brandin Podziemski
40 minutes, 26 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 10-for-18 shooting, 4-for-8 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 68.9% TS, +5
Podziemski was good in this game, and he was impressive. But I’m kind of more caught up on how fun he was. We know what he’s capable of, and when it all comes together, it’s just a joy to witness. He’s so crafty, unique, and funky, yet also tough and in control. He played 40 minutes against a lengthy and athletic defense that is one of the best in the league, and only turned the ball over once … while scoring 26 points and facilitating the offense far more than the assist total would suggest.
He made huge shots, and he made huge hustle plays. It was a treat to watch.
Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points and rebounds.
Nate Williams
18 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 fouls, 1-for-4 shooting, 25.0% TS, -13
Williams wasn’t able to make the impact in this game that he made on Monday, but he definitely looks like an NBA player out there. The Warriors have done so well with two-way contracts.
Grade: B-
Quinten Post
20 minutes, 3 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 turnovers, 3 fouls, 0-for-2 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 3-for-4 free throws, 39.9% TS, -8
Post didn’t play very well in regulation, but he came in clutch when the team needed it most. With Horford having played the bulk of the fourth quarter, Steve Kerr gave his veteran center a break at the start of overtime, and turned to Post instead. The second-year big held it down impressively, especially on the defensive end of the court. Otherwise, not a great game for him.
Grade: C
Pat Spencer
16 minutes, 8 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 3-for-6 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 58.1% TS, -17
The stats are pretty solid, but Spencer had a hard time making an impact in this game, and there’s a reason his minutes total was pretty low. The Rockets, with their length and athleticism, just aren’t a very good matchup for him, and that showed. He couldn’t hold up well on defense, and had a hard time initiating the offense. But he still put up some quality numbers.
Grade: C+
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.
LJ Cryer
20 minutes, 12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 4-for-9 shooting, 4-for-8 threes, 75.0% TS, +6
What a moment for Cryer. He entered Thursday having played in three NBA games, and having totaled eight minutes. He’d played exclusively in garbage time, and hadn’t seen any action in the last six weeks. And then on Thursday, in a nationally-televised game, he played 20 minutes, and was part of the five Warriors players who took the court at the start of the overtime period.
He was there partially because Kerr was monitoring Melton’s minutes, and rested him for the final possessions of overtime. But he also earned it, and there was a reason that he was on the court over the more established Spencer. It was the definition of a breakout game for Cryer, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. It would have been fun to have been a fly on the wall of the Warriors locker room after the game, where Cryer surely got his flowers.
Grade: A+
Malevy Leons
12 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals, 3 fouls, -10
Leons played some pretty nice defense, and his length played well against Houston. He couldn’t really make an impression in any other phase of the game, but just holding his own given the situation is a huge win.
Grade: B
Thursday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, Seth Curry, Steph Curry, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, Kristaps Porziņģis, Will Richard
