Golden State Warriors: Andrew Wiggins beating a top-five team is reassuring

As the Golden State Warriors entered the second leg of their back-to-back matchups with the two best teams in the Western Conference, all the talk had been about Stephen Curry and his race to be the league’s scoring leader for the second time in his career.

He had led the team in scoring for the past ten games. It would’ve been 20 straight if Oubre Jr. didn’t score 24 in a loss to the Washington Wizards back in late April. Against Phoenix, it wasn’t Curry who was the game for Golden State but rather Andrew Wiggins.

For the first time in quite a while, it wasn’t two-time MVP Stephen Curry who was leading the way for the Golden State Warriors.

Andrew Wiggins oftentimes gets harped on for his scoring, but it’s what got the job done against the Suns. Having played on perennially bad teams, Wiggins would get the bulk of the offensive load and, in turn, would average over 20 points per game.

This season, his average has been relatively low at just 18.6 points per game. However, while his scoring may not be to the level it was in Minnesota, his efficiency has never been better.

He’s shooting career-highs from both the field and from deep. He’s currently at 47.6 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from deep. While his efficiency is what’s made him a terrific fit, Wiggins is no stranger to scoring at a high level.

This is the eighth time this season that Wiggins has led the team in scoring, but given Curry’s recent streak of scoring at insane levels, it’s been a rarity for anyone other than the chef to lead the team.

Against the Suns, Wiggins posted 38 points, his second-highest total of the season. He made huge plays down the stretch as well. He scored five points in the last three minutes including a massive triple to break the 110 tie.

If the Warriors are going to win consistently and against high-octane teams, they’re going to need Wiggins to play this type of basketball. He showed what he can do against the Suns, and now he needs to do it in a week when the potential consequences are drastically increased.