Golden State Warriors’ stars bounceback in important win over Washington

Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins had been big reasons for the Golden State Warriors loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, but the duo amended their poor performance with big time outings against the Washington Wizards at Chase Center on Monday night.

The pair had combined for 27 points on just 10-for-34 shooting against the Lakers, holding back a stagnant Warrior offense in the six-point loss. They bounced back however against the Wizards, combining for 56 points in the team’s important nine-point win.

The Golden State Warriors needed all the offense they could get to ensure a 135-126 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday.

Kristaps Porzingis had 25 points in the first-half of the teams’ previous meeting in Washington last month, and he had another inspired start against the smaller Warrior defense. He had 16 points in the first 11 minutes as the Wizards, after a back-and-forth beginning, built a double-digit lead towards the end of the first.

Washington’s hot shooting continued into the second, with Golden State helpless against the barrage of three-point bombs and inside dominance. They had 52 points 15 minutes into the game, and things only got worse for the Warriors when defensive stalwart Draymond Green was called for his third foul less than four minutes into the second.

When Jordan Poole was called for his third foul too with nearly five minutes left in the half, the hosts would have done a good job to hang on. Instead, they used the period as a chance to increase their intensity, led by rare extended minutes for Moses Moody. Despite having two of their key players on the bench, and with Washington shooting over 65% from the field, Golden State somehow took a 71-66 behind Thompson’s 20 points.

The teams continued their scoring output early in the third, but yet again, it was the Warriors who made a decisive move once Green and Poole went to the bench. With the Warrior lead at five with 4:38 to play, they went on a 17-2 run in less than four minutes to soar out to a 20-point lead. A couple of idiotic mistakes gave the Wizards a 7-0 run to end the quarter, giving them a sniff heading to the fourth.

That turned into more than a sniff when they cut the lead to seven with over nine minutes still left in the ball game. Yet Golden State quickly responded with an 11-2 run to extend the lead back to 16 halfway through the quarter. It looked as if it would run out a comfortably victory for the reigning champions, but nothing has come easy for them this season. Things got nervous when Washington cut the lead to six and had possession with just over a minute to play, but a Green stop on Porzingis followed by a DiVincenzo three put the game to bed.

With aggression scarcely seen since his return from injury on January 7, Wiggins took advantage of post-up mismatches on his way to 29 points, seven rebounds and four assists on 12-for-22 shooting. It was an even more impressive outing from last year’s All-Star given he came into the game questionable after an ankle tweak against the Lakers.

Thompson added 27 points, four rebounds and five assists, but his pairing with Wiggins was matched by 34 from Porzingis and 33 for Bradley Beal. Golden State got a huge 13-point, 13-rebound double-double from Kevon Looney though, and their bench outscored the Wizards’ 48-38.

In their continued up-and-down season, the Warriors move back above .500 at 29-28. They face the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night in the second game of a back-to-back, also coinciding with their final game before the All-Star break.