Jordan Poole proves his value in 43-point outburst as Golden State Warriors arrest road skid

After signing a four-year, $140 million extension with the Golden State Warriors that will kick in from next season, Jordan Poole’s form has had many questioning the value of that upcoming contract. But facts are that very few in the NBA are capable of scoring 40+ points and covering the absence of a superstar like Stephen Curry.

That’s exactly what Poole did as his career-high 43 points led the Warriors to a 126-110 win over the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday. He was well supported by a strong overall team performance, with each of Golden State’s ten rotation players finishing with a positive plus-minus.

The Golden State Warriors earnt their first victory of a six-game road-trip, leading for the majority of the contest in a surprisingly comfortable win over the Toronto Raptors.

Having dropped their first three games of the road-trip, and with Curry and Canadian native Andrew Wiggins out, the Warriors desperately needed to pull out a win despite going into the game as underdogs.

Golden State remarkably got three triples from the returning Draymond Green in the opening three possessions, signifying an early period where neither team had any interest in playing defense. But after the scores were tied at 20 following the opening six minutes, the Warriors kept Toronto to just six points for the remainder of the first as they opened up a ten-point lead.

Toronto cut it six as some offensive rebounds and Warriors turnovers threatened to turn the momentum. Poole made sure that wasn’t the case, scoring at all three levels as he had 15 in the second-quarter and 25 in an explosive first-half. On the other end, Golden State kept Toronto to less than 40% shooting from the field as they took a 68-54 lead.

Poole continued to fire in the third, recording another nine points despite the Raptors’ increased attention on him. The teams largely traded buckets until the Warriors finished the quarter on a 16-7 run to effectively put an end to the contest.

There was to be no anxious moments in the fourth as while the Raptors’ offense became a little more efficient, they were unable to manufacture the stops required to produce any sort of meaningful comeback.

Poole continued his Curry-like performance, notching a career-high in scoring and then passing the 40-point mark. He finished with 43 points on 14-for-23 from the field, 5-for-11 from three, and 10-for-11 from the free-throw line. His efficiency could have been even better if not for some late misses as he pushed towards a 50-piece.

The Warriors shot 53.1% from the field and 46.2% from three-point range, also recording 31 assists from 43 made field-goals as the ball movement popped amid some beautiful offensive basketball. The Raptors shot just 42.1% thanks to some suffocating Golden State defense, with Pascal Siakam (27) points the only player to really cause headaches.

A more subdued Klay Thompson had an effective 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Green stamped his impact on the game with 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists and some excellent defense. Kevon Looney had another double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while backup five JaMychal Green perhaps his best game of the season with 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

The ease of the win is a surprise, but perhaps not the result given the loss is Toronto’s fifth in a row and eighth in ten games. Conversely, Golden State move to 15-16 on the season ahead of a back-to-back against the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets starting on Tuesday.