Game Report: Poole and Wiggins fire again, Dubs move to 15-2
If the Toronto Raptors’ goal was to limit the scoring of Stephen Curry, they did a more than a serviceable job. Unfortunately for them, this isn’t the Golden State Warriors of last season or even the one they faced in the 2019 finals once Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson went down.
With Curry facing a host of defensive schemes aimed at limiting his output, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins were left to run riot as the Warriors downed the Raptors 119-104 on Sunday.
The Golden State Warriors keep on rolling as they weathered the storm against Toronto and added another win to their season total.
Just like they did in Curry and Draymond Green’s absence against the Pistons, the Poole-Wiggins tandem again asserted themselves early in the contest, scoring the Warriors’ first 16 points. The first nine minutes were practically the difference in the game, the Dubs firing on all cylinders to take a 31-11 lead.
Although the Raptors rallied at times, the Warriors were never really threatened for the remainder of the contest. Toronto got within 10 points midway through the fourth, before a pair of triples from Poole and Otto Porter Jr. quickly snuffed out any chance the Raptors may have had.
It was the Poole and Wiggins show throughout, the duo locked in from beyond the arc on their way to 30 point games. Poole nailed a career-high eight three-pointers on just 11 attempts, notching back-to-back 30 point games with 33 points on just 13 shots. Not to be totally outdone, Wiggins knocked down his first six three-point attempts, ending with 32 points on 60% from the floor along with six rebounds.
Curry made just two shots for the game, contributing to the win with eight assists. Green made a successful return to the lineup after missing the win over the Pistons, snatching 14 rebounds and dishing eight assists of his own along with the usual tenacious defense.
In somewhat of a birthday present, Chris Chiozza was given a larger role by Steve Kerr, playing over 20 minutes and scoring in double figures for the first time in a Warrior uniform.