Andrew Wiggins feeling more like himself can shift Warriors-Kings series
Wiggins feeling more like himself can shift this series originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SAN FRANCISCO -- Andrew Wiggins, after a two-month break from basketball games, rocketed out of the gates in his return during the Warriors' series-opening loss to the Sacramento Kings on April 15, nearly one week ago.
Wiggins scored six points in the first quarter, followed by another six in the second to give him 12 at halftime. He gave the Warriors another five in the third quarter, too. But Wiggins was held scoreless in the fourth quarter, missing all four of his shots with all four being 3-pointers.
In the Warriors' Game 2 loss Monday night, Wiggins scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half but continued to struggle from deep down the stretch. Getting over the hump Thursday night and earning their first win of this first-round playoff series, Wiggins scored 20 points with ease against the Kings.
His 3-of-6 shooting from long range showed his legs were more under him, though it was everything else that showed how close he is to being "Two-Way Wiggs" once more, especially crashing the glass.
Rebounding was a focal point for the Warriors after their Game 1 loss, and the same can be said after being defeated in Game 2. With Draymond Green suspended for Game 3 and Gary Payton II being ruled out due to an illness, that aspect of the game was going to be crucial for the Warriors to make this a series and get back in the win column.
"I feel like with Draymond out, GP out, everyone had to fill those shoes together and rebound the ball," Wiggins said Thursday night after the Warriors' 114-97 win over the Kings. "I feel like that's what's going to take us over the top is rebounding. And I feel like every game I'm just getting back to myself, rebounding wise.
"I hope I can keep it going, and keep it going up."
The ultra-athletic 6-foot-7 forward grabbed just three rebounds in Game 1. That number increased to five rebounds in Game 2 and then finally seven rebounds in the Warriors' Game 3 win. There were shades of the player that blossomed last playoffs.
Though Wiggins can jump with the best of the them and has a scout's dream of strength and explosiveness, he never has put up huge rebounding numbers. He averaged 4.5 rebounds per game in his first All-Star campaign last season, but then tapped into a different beast in the playoffs. Wiggins averaged 7.5 rebounds per game throughout the Warriors' playoff run, and 8.8 in the NBA Finals.
The Warriors were 9-2 in games Wiggins had seven or more rebounds last year in the playoffs, and are a perfect 1-0 now this time around.
One sequence in particular during the course of the Warriors' 17-point win Thursday night against the Kings perfectly exemplified what kind of an impact Wiggins can have on both sides of the ball.
Guarding Kings forward Trey Lyles in the post, Wiggins trailed Lyles' spin and swatted it away. The ball then found him after being swung from Steph Curry to Donte DiVincenzo and then back to Wiggins for a 3-pointer at the top of the arc to give the Warriors a nine-point lead with eight minutes remaining in the first half.
"That's what's going to fuel us every game," Wiggins said. "We know when things are not going our way that's something that we should be able to depend on, the rebounding, the defense, the hard work -- trying to make the other team uncomfortable."
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Staring at possible 0-3 first-round deficit and doing so down two of their top players, the Warriors out-rebounded the Kings by six (59-53), had twice as many steals as them (12-6), two more blocks (5-3) and a 15-point advantage from 3-point range by making 16 threes compared to 11 by Sacramento.
Whether it was Curry's 36 points or Kevon Looney's 20 rebounds, there were plenty of Warriors to pat on the back for their winning efforts. Wiggins looking more like himself for four quarters, and feeling more like himself in every part of his game also was a major contributing factor and can shift the series even more in the Warriors' favor.
