The Golden State Warriors got back in the win column on Tuesday night, beating the Phoenix Suns 118-107 to improve to 5-3 on the season. It wasn’t the prettiest victory in the world — they flirted with blowing a 25-point lead — but given the circumstances, we’ll take it. Al Horford didn’t play, Jimmy Butler III barely played, and Steph Curry was very compromised. Put all of that together, and you’ll happily take a double-digit victory, style points be damned.
But still, we must grade the players.
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 Tuesday’s games, league-average TS was 58.4%.
Jonathan Kuminga
25 minutes, 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls, 4-for-7 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, 60.5% TS, 0 +/-
This was, in my eyes, Kuminga’s worst game of the season. It certainly wasn’t a bad game, more just a bland one. The playmaking and offensive aggression that he’s shown in the first two weeks of the season was somewhat absent, as was the killer mentality on the glass. His defense — he started on Devin Booker — wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. He had some sloppy plays, though the four turnovers paint a harsher picture than reality.
Certainly nothing to be concerned about, but he has set the bar high this year, and he has to get graded accordingly.
Grade: C
Draymond Green
33 minutes, 2 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 turnovers, 1 foul, 1-for-2 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 0-for-2 free throws, 34.7% TS, +13
A lot of good and a lot of bad with Green. Unlike Kuminga, the four turnovers on Dray’s stat sheet underscore just how careless he was with the ball on certain occasions … but the eight assists don’t give him enough credit for how impressive he was at quarterbacking the offense when he wasn’t turning the ball over.
There were a few defensive lapses uncharacteristic of him, but far more defensive highlights that really stood out.
Grade: B
Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists, tied for the team lead in rebounds.
Quinten Post
27 minutes, 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 5-for-7 shooting, 4-for-6 threes, 100.0% TS, +16
An absolutely phenomenal performance by Post, who got the start in this game. He just did everything the Warriors could possibly want him to do. His defense against Mark Williams stood out, and he was so strong on the glass. His brilliant shooting in the pick-and-pop not only gave the Dubs much needed offense (especially in the first quarter) but completely messed up Phoenix’s defense, which went into shambles every time Williams had to stray from the paint.
He played so tough in this game: he was rebounding with his elbows out, setting monster screens, and bodying people on defense. A truly awesome performance.
Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds.
Jimmy Butler III
14 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1-for-5 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 20.0% TS, +17
Props to Butler for giving it a go in this game, but it probably wasn’t the right move. He was listed as questionable almost until the opening tip with a back ailment, and he just never looked quite right. He didn’t play his usual workload in the first half, and never came out from the locker room in the second half.
A gutsy performance, and as the rebounds, assists, and plus/minus show, one that really helped the Warriors win the game. I’d be surprised if we see him in Sacramento for the second half of the back-to-back.
Grade: A for the toughness
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.
Steph Curry
34 minutes, 28 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 9-for-23 shooting, 5-for-12 threes, 5-for-5 free throws, 55.6% TS, +7
Curry had a decent game, but didn’t look quite like himself down the stretch: he was slower and less sharp than usual, despite the two off days. And then he came to the podium after the game, and it immediately became clear why: he was sick as a dog. Curry said he has been battling an illness for a few days, and that the “tank was on E” down the stretch of this game. Steve Kerr said he didn’t even need to consult with the medical staff because he wasn’t going to let Curry play on Wednesday regardless.
A remarkably gutsy performance to help carry the team to victory in those circumstances.
Grade: A for the toughness
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.
Moses Moody
34 minutes, 24 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 7-for-11 shooting, 5-for-8 threes, 5-for-6 free throws, 88.0% TS, +15
Just an absolutely perfect Moody game. He’s a star role player on many nights, but you can remove the “role player” part of that descriptor for this contest. Moody was a flat-out star. He replaced Butler in the starting lineup to start the second half, and was on the court down the stretch as the Dubs closed the game out. He made big shot after big shot, sparking the offense and driving the dagger through Phoenix on multiple occasions. He took over defensive duties on Booker, and was sensational — he really is a fantastic point of attack defender.
If anyone had any doubts as to what Moody is capable of, this game alleviated all of them. A star performance.
Grade: A+
Brandin Podziemski
24 minutes, 13 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 5-for-11 shooting, 1-for-6 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 54.7% TS, +3
Podziemski’s jumper wasn’t turned on for this contest, but every other part of his game was. He provided offensive sparks when the team needed it, and played some strong and tough defense, once again drawing a charge. This was just a game where he did all the little things.
Grade: B+
Trayce Jackson-Davis
16 minutes, 7 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 fouls, 3-for-5 shooting, 1-for-1 free throws, 64.3% TS, +2
It was really nice seeing TJD get so much run … and a little surprising, given how much Post played, too. But Jackson-Davis gave the Dubs a different look, and it was an important one. Some length and athleticism near the rim really helped the offense, especially when shots weren’t falling. It’s not easy to play well when your minutes are so sporadic, so TJD deserves a lot of praise.
Grade: B+
Buddy Hield
20 minutes, 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 4-for-7 shooting, 3-for-5 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, 80.6% TS, -13
Don’t let the plus/minus fool you. Hield was really good in this game, he just happened to be on the floor for Phoenix’s big runs. He was the offensive spark plug that the Warriors signed him to be, and I thought he made a lot of good plays as a facilitator and defender in this one, too. He was on the court late in this game, and deservedly so.
Grade: B+
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.
Pat Spencer
11 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 2-for-5 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 59.5% TS, +5
It was Spencer, not Will Richard, who received the boost-the-energy-please backup guard minutes. I would not have agreed with that decision before the game, but it’s sure hard to argue with it now that the game is over, because Spencer was phenomenal. Energy, scoring, playmaking, defense, rebounding … he did it all. Just what the doctor coach ordered.
Grade: A
Gui Santos
3 minutes, 0 points, -10
Santos didn’t get enough time to show much in this game, good or bad. Rough plus/minus for that short of a stint, though!
Grade: Incomplete
Joe Lacob
The Warriors owner joined the broadcast booth in the second quarter, and the Dubs proceeded to go on a massive run. Get that man a seat between Fitz and Buike more often!
Grade: A+
Tuesday’s DNP-CDs: Gary Payton II, Will Richard
Tuesday’s inactives: Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Jackson Rowe, Alex Toohey
