SAN FRANCISCO – Look no further than the final seconds of the first half to experience the brand of basketball Steve Kerr wants to see the Warriors play this season.
Here’s a quick recap: dribbling, driving, passing, passing, hopping, bucket.
Stephen Curry turned his back and stalked the logo about 2 ticks in the half-court after dumping a 3-pointer putting the dubs on break for a possible 118-116 preseason win over the Denver Nuggets.
“I enjoyed the way we closed the second quarter,” said Kerr. “That was the highlight of the game for me. … the ball really moved. I thought that would be our best stretch of the game. ”
Andrew Wiggins gathered PJ Dozier and drove towards the basket. He kicked him in the corner to Otto Porter Jr., who passed the ball to Curry. He dribbled once and nailed the bucket that raised Golden State 1 during recess.
Dozier was left behind trying to close the bottom on a wide-open curry.
“Two defenders came up to me thinking I was going to take this shot,” said Porter. “I was, but they left Steph wide open. I thought, I? OK, bad idea, buddy. ”
Stretch the floor
Porter isn’t going to miss this corner three often, and neither should he.
In his first two preseason games, Porter made eight of his 13 attempts from deep and never missed a corner. He nailed all six of his attempts from every corner.
“That’s why I’m here,” Porter said afterwards. “I’m proud of that. I work on it every day. You have to have that corner 3, especially on this team. … That corner shot will be there, so you have to knock it down. ”
Porter and Nemanja Bjelica give the Warriors size and shooting ability, a combination they have been missing since the days of Mo Speights, Kerr said.
“Otto and Belli can give us that,” said Kerr. “This Sagittarius at the 4 or 5 who can give us that extra distance that we didn’t necessarily have in the past. … We always had great 3-point shootouts at the top of our squad. I don’t think we ever had the depth. ”
The Warriors backed 27 baskets on Wednesday night after losing 32 groschen in their first preseason game.
They tried 46 3-pointers and made 21 of them after shooting 24-of-69 from range in Portland.
As long as the shots are in, Kerr said the Warriors 80 could take 3-pointers and he would be fine with that.
Andre Iguodala, who did not play on Wednesday to limit his preseason workload, said he believes Porter and Bjelica could be better used in Golden State’s system than on their previous teams.
“We got some bargains with these two guys,” said Iguodala ahead of Wednesday’s game. “For some reason, their strengths could not be fully realized. I think you saw a lot of the opportunities in the pre-season that you will have within the system of playing with Steph, playing with Draymond. ”
On Wednesday, Golden State beat Denver by 18 points when Porter was down, the best odds of any Warriors player.
Be conspicuous
Draymond Green was the defender who tried to quickly close the ground early in the first quarter. It led to the rare blatant foul call in the preseason.
As Austin Rivers started his shot beyond the bow, Green jumped and dropped his right knee into Rivers’ midsection. The Nuggets guard hit the floor hard, and Green was served a Flagrant-I after the video briefing.
He appeared to be apologizing to Rivers at the free-throw line.
Draymond Green is called in a blatant foul after flying in on a 3-point attempt at Austin Rivers pic.twitter.com/nQfTYvgn9T
– Evan Webeck (@EvanWebeck) October 7, 2021
Rotation
Bjelica and Avery Bradley were the first Warriors to quit the bank in their second consecutive preseason game. The duo competed for Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney around the middle of the first quarter.
“The reason he’s here is because we know we need a ball-spreading defensive guard,” Kerr said of Bradley. “We’re just trying to take a long look at him to see what he can bring to our team.”
Juan Toscano-Anderson was next, about a minute later after Wiggins conceded his second foul. Porter followed, replacing Green, then Poole returned to spell curry.
Poole led the Warriors within minutes, sharing the space with a number of different rotating pairs.
Pool party
Kerr said Poole had the go-ahead and the 22-year-old guard took full advantage in two preseason games.
Poole started both games and led the Warriors each time.
He built on his 30-point performance with another 17 on Wednesday evening.
“Nothing he does surprises us,” said Kerr. “He deserves it, as I’ve said many times.”
Having scored seven 3-point points on Monday, Poole was more effective at reaching the basket on Wednesday. Six of his 17 points came in the color and he reached the free throw line five times. He made only one of his six attempts from deep.
Porter finished second at the Warriors with 15 points, paired with nine rebounds, in 18 minutes. Curry and Bjelica also ended in double digits with 14 and 13 pieces.
Welcome back
The Warriors welcomed fans back to full capacity at the Chase Center for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, a period of 575 days. A total of 16,923 fans passed the turnstiles on Wednesday evening.
“I’m just so excited,” Kerr said before the game about the prospect of playing in front of a full house again. “I mean, even the other night in Portland, getting down on the floor and seeing the bleachers full and feeling the energy was a huge rush for all of us, so to feel that it is going to be great at home. We are very happy to welcome our fans back in the building. I’m just really looking forward to the year. ”
