Steph Curry and Klay Thompson noted in Warriors’ win over Rockets

Well, the losing streak is finally over. It took two weeks, but the Golden State Warriors finally won a game again…just their second home win of the year. The Dubs faced an extremely playful Houston Rockets team and came away with a 121-116 victory, although in fairness it wasn’t as close as the score would suggest.

It’s time to rate the players. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing that player’s average performance.

Note: True Shooting Percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that takes into account three-pointers and free throws. The league average TS was 57.5% heading into Monday’s games.

Kevin Looney

22 minutes, 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 fouls, 2 for 4 shooting, 3 for 4 free throws, 60.8% TS, +2

A quietly solid game for Looney. Dario Šarić has been so good this year that it has allowed Looney to slide into a sometimes smaller role, where Steve Kerr can pick his spots for the trusted center. And as a result, Looney always seems to have an impact on the game when he’s on the court.

The offense isn’t big in numbers, but it’s pretty darn good. The timing of screens, roll delivery, and improved ability to intimidate defenders at the rim make Looney a damn solid player on both ends of the court.

Grade: B+

Andrew Wiggins

30 minutes, 12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 fouls, 3 of 10 shots, 2 of 3 shots, 4 of 4 free throws, 51.0% TS, -3

First, an apology to Wiggins. I’ve done player ratings for almost every game this season, and sure enough, one of the few games I miss is Saturday, when he exploded for 31 points. Please enjoy a nice late note, Wiggins.

Now on to this game. There was a lot to like from Wiggs. He tied his season high in rebounds and easily had his best free throw shooting game of the year. He made several threes, something he hadn’t done all year before Saturday…and I’m excited enough about a potential return to form in his shooting that I’m willing to overlook that one of his three was accidentally cashed. He was aggressive at the rim, even though he shot just 1 of 7 inside the arc.

I don’t know what to think of his defense. It sort of floated between the good, the great, and the bad depending on the possession.

Category B-
Post-match bonuses: Led the team in rebounds, tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.

Chris Paul

34 minutes, 15 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 4 fouls, 4 of 7 shooting, three of 3 of 5, free throws 4 of 4, 85.6% TS, +12

This was a vintage CP3 performance. Effective scoring as he picked his spots. An offense that was firing on all cylinders as he moved the ball with precision, rarely making a bad decision. Intense competitive dynamism that manifested itself defensively and during heated games.

It also resulted in what the Warriors had in mind when they acquired him, and what was visible before the losing streak: an ability to win non-Steph minutes. Even though CP3 didn’t come off the bench, he was the maestro of the second unit, with Golden State outscoring Houston by 12 points when he was on the court.

As a result, the Warriors were dominated when Curry was on the court, but still won. This was the third time this year they have done this, matching last season’s total.

A great game.

Rating: A+
Post-match bonuses: Led the team in assists, best plus/minus on the team.

Steph Curry

35 minutes, 32 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls, 8 of 14 shots, 5 of 9 threes, 11 of 12 free throws, 83.0% TS, -3

It wasn’t the most statistically impressive game Curry has had, even if the efficiency was absolutely absurd. But it still felt like a huge game, if for no other reason than that it continued to put the team on its back, so much so that Kerr played it for the entire fourth quarter, desperate to seal the deal.

It was that kind of game. The Warriors needed Steph and he delivered, and for that he gets a good grade, even with poor assist and turnover numbers.

Grade: A
Post-match bonuses: Led the team in points, tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.

Klay Thompson

31 minutes, 20 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 7 of 16 shots, 5 of 11 shots, free throws 1 on 1, 60.8% TS, -3

Like Wiggins on Saturday, Klay finally broke the 20-point curse and eclipsed the magic mark. He did most of his work in the first quarter, when he hit three triples and followed up with a three-point play, culminating in a 12-point quarter that helped keep Golden State in the lead. blow before the start of the offensive. to click.

It was a sight that hurt the eyes and it made me very happy.

Thompson didn’t do much after that, but he certainly didn’t hurt the Warriors either. It reminded us how important his shooting and gravity are, and that worked to Golden State’s advantage.

Welcome back, Klay. More things are on the way for you and Wiggs, I’m sure!

Grade: A-
Post-match bonuses: Tied for worst plus/minus on the team.

Dario Saric

26 minutes, 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 5 of 10 shots, 3 of 7 shots, 5 of 6 free throws, 71.2% TS, +5

I don’t know where Šarić stands in the Sixth Man of the Year rankings at the start of the season, but he has to be near the top. I’d say he’s been a luxury for the Warriors this year, but I think a necessity is more accurate. His skills and chemistry with Paul make him the secret of the bench units, and he shocks Warriors fans with his rebounding and defensive quality (in some matchups).

Simply put, he has been one of the best players on the team this year.

Grade: A

Jonathan Kuminga

18 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 3 out of 7 shots, 1 out of 3 shots, 0 out of 2 free throws, 44.4% TS, +8

I’m almost ready to ignore everything else and just give JK an A+ for his spectacular transition dunk.

Outside of this game, it was a mixed bag for Kuminga. He once again struggled with efficiency, although I thought he did a great job getting a high shooting percentage with his athleticism. The rest of the scoring is pretty mediocre, but I really liked the defense he played.

I feel like he played very well, but the lack of rebounds, the abundance of fouls and the low efficiency prevent me from giving him a good grade.

Category B

Tracey Jackson-Davis

4 minutes, 0 points, +1

TJD had some running to give the Dubs a different look against the Houston frontcourt. He really didn’t do anything of note, for better or worse.

Note: Incomplete

Moses Moody

22 minutes, 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 fouls, 3 of 7 shooting, three of 1 of 3, 50.0% TS, +3

Just when it looked like Moody was about to lose his grip on his spinning point, he came roaring back. The stats don’t really do him justice in this one. He came in with Šarić before halfway through the first quarter and the energy of the game completely changed.

His defense has improved a lot and he’s starting to have gravity as a floor spacer. It wasn’t his most effective match, but I was really impressed watching it.

Grade: B+

Brandin Podziemski

18 minutes, 3 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 fouls, 1-on-2 shooting, 1-on-2 three-way shooting, 75.0% TS, +3

First of all, I love watching Podz play. What a treat.

Second, a 20 year old rookie goalie playing 18 minutes without a turnover is a very rare sight. But that’s the type of composure and sound decision-making Podziemski played with.

Third, this guy’s rebound is outrageous!

When Podziemski was drafted, I think a lot of people thought he would only impact games if he scored, but he quickly proved that wasn’t the case. He makes the Warriors play better, even if he doesn’t shoot much.

Grade: A

Monday’s DNPs: Cory Joseph, Gui Santos

Monday’s inactives: Usman Garuba, Draymond Green, Gary Payton II, Lester Quinones, Jerome Robinson

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