Against all odds — and I mean all odds — the Golden State Warriors ended their five-game road trip on a high note, shocking the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-114. What a game!
Let’s rate it. As always, grades are weighted based on my expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents that player’s average performance.
Note: True-Shooting Percentage (TS) is a measure of hit efficiency that takes three-pointers and free throws into account. The league average attending Friday’s games was 57.8%.
Jonathan Kuminga
27 mins, 10 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 4 on 9 shooting, 2 on 2 threes, 0 on 2 free throws, 50.6% TS, +8
A really strong performance for Kuminga on his return to the pitch after missing eight games in a row. He really played control… the 5 assists with no turnover and only 2 fouls in 27 minutes is a massive win for him.
I thought he played smart and composed at both ends of the court while still being aggressive and having a really good defense.
Grade: A-
Kevin Looney
32 minutes, 4 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 1 foul, 2-for-4 shoot, 50.0% TS, +10
What a game for Looney against a double lineup from Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The Warriors shockingly dominated Cleveland on the glass, and Looney was the main reason … he had more rebounds than Mobley and Allen combined, even though they were both in the top 20 rebounds per game this season.
17 rebounds! 4 assists with 0 turnovers! 4 shares with only 1 foul!
Elite performance by Looney.
Rating: A+
Post-Game Bonus: Led the team in rebounds.
Donte DiVincenzo
35 mins, 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 4 turnovers, 3 fouls, 5 on 13 shooting, 3 on 7 trebles, 4 on 6 free throws, 54.4% TS, +12
What a luxury DiVincenzo is. He has developed into one of the best bench players in the league, capable of taking on any role on the bench, no matter how big or small. And just as importantly, he has a proven ability to expand that role when a player is injured or sidelined and he needs to start.
In that regard, he’s similar to Jordan Poole…a top-notch starter when given that opportunity and a beast of a bench the rest of the time.
Struggled with turnovers and wasn’t his most efficient play this time (although some of the shots came off offense late in the clock) but just played so controlled, with tremendous defense.
Class: A
Post-Game Bonus: Led the team in plus/minus.
Ty Jerome
41 mins, 22 points, 1 rebound, 8 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 9 on 13 shooting, 3 on 4 trebles, 1 on 1 free throws, 81.6% TS, +3
I’m pretty sure Jerome set the NBA record for most push shots in a post-internet game in this game. The hardwood legends of the ’50s and ’60s would have been so proud of him. And then he also had one of the most important shots of the game, a three-pointer within two minutes that ended a 12-2 run in Cleveland.
Sometimes statistics don’t tell the whole story, but sometimes they do. There is no need to complicate this. Jerome, who has been inactive for the last couple of games, got on the starting lineup and scored 22 points with an efficiency Steph Curry would have loved, with 8 assists for just 1 turnover. These stats tell the exact story.
Incidentally, it was only the seventh time this season that an NBA player had at least 22 points and 8 assists at 80% or better true shooting with only 1 turnover. The other six? Curry, Nikola Jokic, Jimmy Butler, Darius Garland, De’Aaron Fox and TJ McConnell.
Rating: A+
Post-Game Bonus: Led the team in assists.
Jordan Poole
41 mins, 32 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 5 turnovers, 5 fouls, 10 v 23 shots, 5 v 12 trebles, 7 v 8 free throws, 60.3% TS, +6
One of the silver linings of watching these games where the starters sit is seeing Poole as The Man. There are still some issues when he’s put in that position…he seems to be becoming a worse playmaker and he’s had some crazy turnovers.
But he has also pulled the team onto their backs on numerous occasions, both with his goals and with his emotions. It was so much fun to watch.
Does anyone else think he’s gotten a lot better defensively in the past few weeks?
Grade: A-
Post-Game Bonus: Led the team on points.
Yes, Mychal Green
16 mins, 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 losses, 3 fouls, 5-on-10 shooting, 3-on-5 threes, 65.0% TS, -4
Green hadn’t played a game since December 18 and he looked the part. Not in the sense of rusty, but in the sense of a lot of pent-up energy. Every time he stepped onto the court, he looked like he’d just snorted a row of pixie sticks and downed a Red Bull. As a driver, cutter and rebounder, he relentlessly attacked the rim and made it rain from a distance.
It was a lot of fun for him.
Grade: A-
Anthony Lamb
25 minutes, 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 4-on-8 shooting, 4-on-8 three-pointers, 75.0% TS, 0 plus/minus
The birthday boy splashed into a quartet of long balls, and everyone felt it was just the right time to stop a Cleveland run.
Apart from that he has not done much, but the timeliness of his recordings should not be underestimated.
Grade: A-
Patrick Baldwin Jr.
9 minutes, 7 points, 1 turnover, 2v4 shooting, 2v3 three-pointers, 1v2 free throws, 71.7% TS, -6
Every time Baldwin goes to court these days, my only thought is, “I can’t wait for him to be part of the rotation next year.”
I’m starting to see Michael Porter Jr. in his game and while he’s not ready to be part of the rotation this year, I think he could be very special next season.
Class: A
Post-Game Bonus: Worst plus/minus in the team.
Moses Moody
14 mins, 3 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1-on-2 shooting, 1-on-2 trebles, 75.0% TS, +1
That Moody could only get 14 minutes of play in this game tells you everything you need to know about how Steve Kerr sees him right now. He wasn’t bad in those minutes and I loved the way he attacked the glass but he still doesn’t do very much.
Grade: B+
Friday’s DNPs: Ryan Rollin
Inactive on Friday: Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman