Game Report: Poole Party back as Warriors down Heat

If there were any concerns around Jordan Poole’s move to the bench for the Golden State Warriors, they were alleviated even before the return of Klay Thompson.

Poole, in his second game off the bench after clearing health and safety protocols, had 32 points to lead the Warriors to a 115-107 victory over the Miami Heat at Chase Center on Monday night.

The Warriors were buoyed by the return of Draymond Green from health and safety protocols, with the Heat on the second night of a back-to-back.

Although Gary Payton II remained as the starting two-guard, Poole saw early action due to two quick fouls on Stephen Curry within the first 3 minutes of the game. The third-year guard took full advantage, scoring 14 first-quarter points as the Warriors took a 33-25 lead.

But even without starting center Bam Adebayo, the gritty Heat were always going to be a tough challenge to overcome. They battled back to take the lead halfway through the second, before Golden State steadied and took a five-point lead to halftime thanks to 16 points from Andrew Wiggins.

The Heat again took a brief lead as the teams traded baskets during the third, although the Warriors quickly regained ascendancy. The key and unfortunate moment came late in the quarter, when Miami star Jimmy Butler hobbled off with an ankle injury and wasn’t to be seen again.

The fourth was an incredibly even battle, with the Heat keeping things interesting despite Golden State’s repeated attempts to push it past a ten-point margin. Miami even got within four with under four minutes remaining, but the Warriors proved too strong with some big plays down the stretch.

The clincher came with just under two minutes remaining; firstly, Draymond Green blocked Miami big man Omer Yurtseven, his fourth rejection of the contest, before Poole finished over the Turkish native with a thunderous and-one dunk on the other end.

It was another team performance from the Warriors, completing the job despite Curry, the MVP favorite to many, scoring just nine points on 3-17 shooting.