No Stephen Curry. No Draymond Green. No worries for the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State may have been short-handed but their winning ways continued in a 105-102 victory over the Detroit Pistons. With Curry out on the second night of a back-to-back, it was always going to be a test of Jordan Poole’s ability to lead an NBA offense.
The Golden State Warriors managed to notch another victory even with Stephen Curry on the bench due to Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins.
With the help of Andrew Wiggins, he more than answered the challenge, even if a fourth quarter Warrior letdown led to one final frantic play. The pair asserted themselves early, as they needed to, scoring the first 12 Warrior points which included two Poole triples.
After the Warriors jumped out of the blocks, the Pistons battled back and took a brief 45-42 lead in the second quarter. The Warriors then closed the half on a 14-6 run, taking a 56-51 lead on the back of Poole’s 22 first half points.
Although it may not have come with the flurry or ferocity that others have, the Warrior third quarter surge was back on show. Led by Wiggins’ 10 points in the period, they outscored the Pistons 30-19 to take what should have been a comfortable 16 point lead into the fourth.
But the Warriors stagnated somewhat, scoring just 19 points as the Pistons began to make it a ball game again. It ultimately set up a frenetic final play, with Detroit trailing by three with a chance to tie the game.
Jerami Grant’s three-ball missed the mark with seven seconds to go, however, a loose ball was collected by Cory Joseph who found Frank Jackson for one final shot. Having nailed five triples on the night off the bench, Jackson’s last attempt astonishingly rimmed out for Pistons fans.
The Warriors may have escaped with the victory in the dying seconds, but it was still a good win given the absence of Curry and Green.