3 things to know: Warriors squander late lead vs. Wizards to end road trip with bitter loss, 118-114
After an early rally led the second unit to erase a 19 point deficit in the first half, the Golden State Warriors looked like they were headed towards another victory on the road against the Washington Wizards.
A Jordan Poole triple gave the Warriors an 11-point lead with under seven minutes remaining in the contest. However, the Warriors failed to close the door on Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook.
Led by their dynamic backcourt duo, Washington went on a run to take control of the contest. With under three minutes remaining, Beal dropped a haymaker and-1 layup that resulted in Draymond Green fouling out of the game. Following Beal’s successful old-fashion three-point play, the Wizards trailed by only one point.
Without Green on the floor, Golden State’s defense had no answer for Washington’s attack, squandering away the lead and the game in the final minutes, 118-114.
Before the Warriors return to Chase Center after a five-game road swing, here are three things to know from Wednesday’s contest.
Steph Curry’s streak snapped
After becoming the only player at age 33 or older to rip off 11 consecutive games with 30 or more points, Steph Curry’s scorching streak came to a close against the Wizards.
With Washington’s defense swarming, Curry went cold, tallying only 18 points on 7-of-25 shooting from the floor in 36 minutes. Coming off a 10 triple performance against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, Curry uncharacteristically struggled from beyond the arc, hitting only two jumpers from deep on 14 attempts.
Curry will have the chance to bounce back on Friday at Chase Center in a battle with fellow Most Valuable Player contender Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
Kelly Oubre Jr.
In his second game since returning from injury, Kelly Oubre Jr. provided the spark Golden State needed off the bench. Leading the Warriors’ early comeback, Oubre Jr. tallied a team-high 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the floor with nine boards and two blocks in 37 minutes off the bench.
If Steve Kerr is thinking about making another change to his rotation, Oubre Jr.’s effort against the Wizards could be the performance to catapult him back into the starting lineup when the Warriors return to Chase Center.
Jordan Poole
While Oubre Jr. led Golden State’s second unit, Jordan Poole followed closely behind. Without Damion Lee due to a foot injury, the second-year guard stepped up, notching 22 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the floor in 25 minutes against the Wizards.
As Curry went cold from long distance, Poole did his best Splash Brothers impersonation, hitting six 3-pointers on 10 attempts from outside. Poole has now registered double-figures in scoring off the bench in five of his last seven contests for the Warriors, including two performances with 20 or more points.
