The Golden State Warriors got back in the win column Monday night, beating the Orlando Magic 104-99 in a roller-coaster of a game. But a win is a win is a win, and it was a nice win to have.
So let’s 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 Monday’s games, league-average TS was 57.4%.
Andrew Wiggins
35 minutes, 25 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 7-for-14 shooting, 1-for-5 threes, 10-for-15 free throws, 60.7% TS, +15
Even though he didn’t make them at a great clip, Wiggins’ free throw shooting was huge in this game. The Warriors desperately needed aggression, and Wiggins delivered in a monstrous way. He attempted 15 free throws; the Magic, as a team, shot just 10. Whenever the Warriors needed a bucket, Wiggins muscled his way to the line, not only getting safe points, but putting Franz Wagner in foul trouble along the way (Wagner fouled out in the final seconds).
And if you’re lamenting about the free throw percentage … well, just remember that making 66.7% of your free throws means a trip to the line is the same as shooting a two-point shot with a 66.7% chance of going in. That’s still efficient, even if there’s room for growth.
Wiggins didn’t provide much in the way of rebounding, but his defense on Wagner was exceptional.
Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points, tied for the best plus/minus on the team.
Draymond Green
29 minutes, 4 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 2-for-4 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 0-for-2 free throws, 41.0% TS, +9
Green returned to the court and the Warriors held a team under 100 points for the first time since December 11.
Coincidence? Try looking at Paolo Banchero’s stat line (18 points on 9-for-24 shooting with just one free throw attempt) and then tell me what you think.
Defensive clinic. Especially in the final minutes of the game.
Grade: A
Quinten Post
20 minutes, 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 foul, 2-for-5 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 59.5% TS, +6
Well, it certainly looks like Post is the starting center now, which means the Warriors are going to have to find a way to guarantee his contract before the end of the season, if they’re postseason bound. That’s a problem for another day. For now, Post is just quietly and steadily learning how to be a solid NBA player.
Grade: A-
Buddy Hield
19 minutes, 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 1-for-4 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 2-for-3 free throws, 37.6% TS, +15
I don’t know when Hield started playing with endless amounts of energy, but I really enjoy it. Especially since, unfortunately, it’s kind of the only thing he’s doing well at the moment.
He just didn’t really do anything in this game except play with energy, but his teammates sure seemed to feed off that. It’s impressive how quickly he helps get the ball up the court.
Grade: C+
Post-game bonus: Tied for the best plus/minus on the team.
Steph Curry
34 minutes, 24 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 7-for-21 shooting, 2-for-12 threes, 8-for-8 free throws, 48.9% TS, +8
Curry had another really rough shooting night but, like Wiggins, he did an exceptional job of attacking the rim, getting the defense turned around, and getting to the free throw line. The Warriors won’t win many games when Curry shoots with substandard efficiency, but then again … he doesn’t do that very often.
Grade: C+
Kevon Looney
21 minutes, 2 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, 1-for-5 shooting, 20.0% TS, +1
What a hilariously Looney stat line. It was just the 14th time in NBA history that a player had at least 15 rebounds and at least six assists, with two or fewer points. And just the second time someone has had exactly two points, six assists, and 15 rebounds. The other time? Bill Walton!
Anyway, absurd day on the glass for Mr. Consistency.
Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds and assists.
Gary Payton II
15 minutes, 4 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 2-for-4 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 50.0% TS, -5
Not a very notable game for GPII, for better and for worse. Didn’t really make much of an impact in this one.
Grade: C
Dennis Schröder
19 minutes, 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 3-for-6 shooting, 3-for-3 threes, 75.0% TS, -9
Schröder had some huge second quarter minutes as the Warriors started to fully erase Orlando’s lead. Even though he didn’t score a ton, when he’s shooting well he’s such a threat leading the second unit, especially when you account for his playmaking.
Grade: B+
Post-game bonus: Tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.
Brandin Podziemski
21 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 3-for-6 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, 66.7% TS, -9
Podz also had some huge minutes in the second quarter as part of a critical run for the Warriors. I love watching Podziemski and Schröder share the court … talk about a scrappy, cocky, high-energy backcourt duo that no opposing bench player wants to face.
Grade: B
Post-game bonus: Tied for the worst plus/minus on the team.
Moses Moody
24 minutes, 17 points, 1 rebound, 6-for-9 shooting, 3-for-5 threes, 2-for-4 free throws, 79.0% TS, -2
I’m kind of mad that Moody grabbed the rebound that he did. If only he had let a teammate grab it, he could have finished with a truly hilarious line of 17 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 0 turnovers, and 0 fouls. So close!
But hey, as long as we’re doing fun stats, it was just the second time in NBA history that a player had a 17, 1, 0, 0, 0, and 0 game. Admittedly sharing that stat line with Rodney White isn’t as cool as Bill Walton, but hey … we can’t win them all.
Anyway, I would love to see Moody rebound more, but sometimes you box out and Looney grabs the board and you’ve still done your job even if the box score doesn’t reflect it. Similar to Wiggins’ game, if you shoot and defend like Moody did on Monday, all else is forgiven. He was in the closing lineup for a reason.
Grade: A
Gui Santos
2 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 turnover, -4
Santos only got in the game for a brief period. He shined while Green was out, but with Draymond back in the fold — and Moody shining in power forward minutes — we might not see Santos very frequently for a while.
Grade: Incomplete
Monday’s DNPs: Kyle Anderson, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Lindy Waters III
Monday’s inactives: Jonathan Kuminga, Jackson Rowe, Pat Spencer
