What we learned as Dubs hang on to beat Magic in Draymond’s return originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – With the NBA trade deadline days away and rumors running rampant, the product on the court between the Warriors and Orlando Magic felt secondary Monday night at Chase Center. In reality, the game again will be on the backburner Wednesday night when the Warriors play the Utah Jazz on the road.
All attention and all eyes are focused on Thursday at 12 p.m. PT. But first, the Warriors had to find a way to get back over. 500 and beat the Magic in front of their home fans.
The early results weren’t pretty. The Warriors missed their first six shots, all 3-pointers, and only scored three points through the first five minutes. Though the night was filled with a whole lot of offensive ineptitude, the Warriors outscored the Magic by 23 points between the second and third quarters on their way to a 104-99 win.
Those two quarters proved to be even more vital as the Warriors lost the fourth by 10 points.
Battling an off shooting night, Steph Curry scored 24 points on 7-of-21 shooting and was a lowly 2 of 12 on 3-pointers. But Andrew Wiggins continued his strong offensive stretch by scoring a team-high 25 points, and Moses Moody dropped 17 big-time points off the bench.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors outlasting the Magic.
Draymond’s Return
After missing the Warriors’ previous seven games, in which they went 3-4, Green was back in uniform for Golden State. And on the Warriors’ first offensive possession, Green turned the ball over via an errant pass attempt.
But his next turnover didn’t come until the 8:39 mark of the fourth quarter.
Playing his first game since exiting three minutes in on Jan. 18, Green was a plus-9 in 29 minutes. Green scored four points to go with seven points and five assists, and his suffocating defense couldn’t be ignored. Green showed a two-man game with rookie center Quinten Post, and the starting five was a plus-9 together in 12 minutes.
Green’s running jumper with 1:44 left in the fourth quarter gave the Warriors an ever-important four-point lead.
The Wiggins Way
When the Warriors searched for offense, Wiggins often was the answer. He was one of only three players to score in the first quarter, along with Curry and Moody. Wiggins is shooting over 38 percent on 3-pointers this season, but it was everywhere else on the floor where he was a nightmare for the Magic.
Wiggins wasn’t just aggressive, he was under control. The veteran understood what the defense offered and how to take advantage, whether that meant feasting the paint or getting to the free-throw line.
From the 3-point line, Wiggins was only 1 of 5. However, Wiggins was 6 of 9 inside the paint and 10 of 15 on free throws. His 15 free-throw attempts are a season high, and his 10 makes tied a season high.
Wiggins in January averaged 19.3 points and scored 20 or more points in seven of the 14 games he played. To open February, his 25 points showcased how valuable he really is … whether that’s in a Warriors jersey or not.
More Moody
In recent weeks, the Warriors have seen strong contributions from young players like Gui Santos and Post, two relative unknowns not long ago. The last three weeks, however, Moody’s rise has been far too under the radar.
When the Warriors suffered a terrible loss to the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 13, Moody only scored one point. Since then, he has been a huge offensive contributor off the bench. The Warriors have played 10 games following that loss north of the border, and Moody now has scored 10-plus points in nine of those games.
There’s a reason Steve Kerr chose to close with Moody, despite Buddy Hield being a plus-15. As the game neared its final minute, without hesitation, Moody nailed a clutch corner 3-pointer to put the Warriors ahead by five points and put it away. Moody now has scored 17 points in each of the Warriors’ last two games.
He’s essentially playing shooting guard and both forward positions. Moody’s overall game has grown by leaps and bounds as of late.
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