Sometimes one shot changes the entire complexion of a game. Usually, that shot comes from Stephen Curry, but Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, it was Jordan Poole who lit the fuse.
After Poole’s halfcourt heave at the halftime buzzer, the Warriors (16-2) outscored the Sixers (10-9) by 29 to complete their 116-96 comeback win.
Golden State got down early by as much as 19 as they sleepwalked through the first half.
Thanksgiving may be tomorrow, but the Warriors came into Wednesday’s game like they had just polished off a whole holiday feast.
They were sluggish, half asleep and looked disinterested in any physical activity.
And the Curry that was showing out was little brother Seth, who along with Danny Green rained down jumpers on the lifeless bodies of the Warriors defenders.
The Sixers also got a lift from second-year guard Tyrese Maxey who bowled his way to the basket on every possession and finished with 19 points.
The younger Curry had 17 in the first half alone and buried the Warriors in an early hole all without Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
Seth had never outscored his brother in a head-to-head matchup before and looked like he was on a mission to rectify that. In a cruel twist of fate, not only did his team take the loss, but a Stephen Curry 3 with just over a minute left in the game also gave him the L in the scoring matchup too.
The elder Curry finished with 25 – one more than his younger brother – but it was a quiet night by his standards even though he did also dish out 10 assists.
The loudest game came from Juan Toscano-Anderson, who finished with 13 points, nine of those coming in the fourth quarter, on 6-of-6 shooting, six rebounds and six assists.
Toscano-Anderson was out of the rotation just two games ago, but if there is anyone that is going to stay ready and not waste his opportunities, it’s the Oakland native.
He threw down two thunderous dunks that energized the Warriors down the stretch. He plays with the type of fury and joy that embodies the Warriors mentality, and his energy is infectious.
Steve Kerr couldn’t afford to take him out of the game after he entered in the third quarter, and it’s going to be hard for to keep him out of the rotation going forward.
But it’s also going to be hard finding minutes for all the wing options. Otto Porter Jr. continues to show off his range with 12 points on 4-of-5 from 3, Gary Payton II continues to hound opposing guards and provide the Warriors best lob threat, and Andre Iguodala is going to soon be returning from his knee injury.
Add Jonathan Kuminga to the mix, because the rookie is going to get developmental minutes and Damion Lee, who has been struggling recently but is one of the best shooters the team has off the bench.
Oh, and then there’s also that guy named Klay Thompson who is on the precipice of returning.
It’s going to be an absolute dogfight for minutes when everyone is healthy, but that’s really the way the Warriors have manufactured this wing depth.
Iron sharpens iron, as the saying goes. And right now, Golden State has a whole machine factory.
The Portland Trailblazers and Damian Lillard come to Chase Center Friday looking to gain some kind of momentum. Lillard hasn’t been his usual explosive scoring self this season and the Blazers come in at just 10-9 on the season.
Curtis Uemura is SFBay’s Golden State Warriors beat writer. Follow @SFBay and @CUemura on Twitter and at SFBay.ca for full coverage of Warriors basketball.
Last modified November 24, 2021 11:17 pm
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