Andrew Wiggins thought he was dreaming when he learned he would be starting in the All-Star game next month. Woken from a pregame nap, Wiggins got the news from his girlfriend and his daughter.
“It was a good way to learn,” said Wiggins, “and I am thankful. I have been putting in a lot of work and I’ve found a home here.”
Wiggins is averaging 18.1 points per game, with career highs in field goal percentage (48.3) and three-point percentage (34.9). He has also been a force defensively for the Warriors with his blocks and rebounds. The numbers made him worthy of consideration, but the concept of being an All-Star was more a possibility than an expectation.
“I didn’t know what would happen,” said Wiggins, a first-time All Star in his ninth NBA season at age 26. “These last couple of days, I have been thinking, hopefully I make it. I was hoping and to hear my name is a relief. I am just thankful.
So how did Wiggins show his gratitude in Thursday night’s 124-115 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves? By scoring 19 points to go along with two blocks, five rebounds and hitting five threes in eight tries,
Here are more observations from the Warriors’ fourth straight win.
Splash Party
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 52 points and were the catalysts of the Warriors’ explosion from three. Curry (29 points) snapped his cold streak from three by hitting six of 10. Thompson hit five of 9. In all, the Warriors hit 21 of 36 shots from behind the arc (58.3 percent).
While Minnesota seemed to get whatever it wanted in the paint, the Warriors got whatever they wanted from three. The Warriors had the spacing on the floor and ball movement to facilitate their hot perimeter shooting.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr would gladly take a hot night from three, but he focused on the need to be more consistent and disciplined on offense.
“We’re not going to make 21 of 36 most nights, but we did generate a lot of good ones and then we had some lucky ones,” Kerr said. “Jordan (Poole) had a wild one and Steph had a couple of wild ones…. We made seven-to-10 insane plays that are going to get us beat in a big game and against good teams, so we’ve got to get better.”
Defense Shift
The Wolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns scored 23 of his game-high 31 points in the first half. He and the other Wolves repeatedly attacked the basket against an undersized Warriors squad. Kevon Looney got into foul trouble early in the game which made matters worse. Without Looney on the floor, the Warriors did not have a consistent inside presence, which left them vulnerable in the paint.
Minnesota exploited this weakness by scoring 31 points in the paint. In the second half, Golden State trapped and doubled KAT. Plus they pushed the Wolves’ offense out of the paint and forced them to shoot from the perimeter, holding them to 22.7 percent from deep. Kerr believed that the adjustment was crucial in turning the game around.
“The fact that he torched us in the first half was what went into that,” Kerr said, referring to Towns. “We had no choice. Kevon Looney with four fouls at the half, in order to keep him on the floor we needed to send a double and we did a good job with it. “
Curry Flurry?
Curry has been in a slump for nearly two months. While his percentages from Tuesday night’s game against Dallas game didn’t reflect it, there were signs that he was finding his shot again. Against the Mavericks, Curry found a rhythm with his mid-range jumper and a pair of floaters before going away from it. Against the Wolves, it was the opposite. Curry shot from deep and got that going, while struggling with midrange shots and drives before finishing the night on 50/60/100 shooting splits.
New Lineup
Kerr once again deployed a lineup that paired Jonathan Kuminga and Nemanja Bjelica with Curry, Thompson and Poole. This lineup, heavy on offense and versatility, produced six points and a turnover in a few minutes of the second quarter. Kerr likes what he sees from this unit so far not only offensively but on defense as well.
“It’s a nice offensive combination,” he said. “JK gives us a guy who can match up with any position. We put him on Towns, which was a great experience for him. Towns had an amazing game and got Loon in foul trouble and we decided let’s give JK the experience because we think he can guard 1 through 5. We’re just trying to bring him along and he’s done a nice job with that.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com