The Golden State Warriors have returned to a winning feeling on Thursday, holding off the red-hot Detroit Pistons to record a much needed 107-104 victory at Little Caesars Arena.
Having looked in control with a 98-80 lead with less than six minutes left, the Warriors relied on a Malik Beasley missed 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime.
Gui Santos delivered arguably a career-best performance for the Warriors in Detroit
Stephen Curry uncharacteristically struggled throughout the game, finishing with just 17 points on 5-of-21 shooting that included just 2-of-14 from 3-point range. The 2x MVP did have 10 rebounds and six assists in 36 minutes, but without him firing and without the services of Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins, Golden State was dependant on some surprise performances from their more unheralded players.
No one typified that more than Gui Santos, with the young forward playing his first meaningful minutes of the season and delivering at a time the Warriors desperately needed him to. Santos was astonishingly the best player on the floor in the first-half, nailing his first three 3-pointers and hustling everywhere on defense and for extra opportunities on the glass.
The Brazilian had nine points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and was +14 in the first-half, with head coach Steve Kerr rewarding Santos for his hard work with over 15 minutes as Golden State took a 57-47 lead.
Needed a bucket
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 10, 2025
& Gui delivered.
📺 @NBCSAuthentic pic.twitter.com/OQtzEqNpGV
Santos, whose contract will officially become guaranteed with the Warriors on Friday, added another triple in the second-half and actually closed in the final minutes for a team minus a number of rotation players.
The 22-year-old recorded an equal career-high 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, while also adding five rebounds, three assists, two steals and finishing as a +7 in nearly 26 minutes of playing time.
Golden State also got a desperately needed scoring output from Buddy Hield, with the veteran sharpshooter drilling five threes on his way to a team-high 19 points. The Warriors had six players score in double figures, including Dennis Schroder who only had 13 but made a couple of very important layups in the dying minutes as the Pistons rallied.
Trayce Jackson-Davis had a 14-point, 10-rebound, three-assist double-double in 26 minutes, while Kevon Looney returned to the rotation with eight points, eight rebounds and three assists in nearly 21 minutes off the bench.
Given the absences of Kuminga, Wiggins, Brandin Podziemski, Gary Payton II and Moses Moody, this win shouldn't be underestimated against a Detroit team who had won their past five games and nine of the last 11.
The Warriors are now back above .500 at 19-18 on the season and will now travel to Indiana to play the Pacers on the second night of a back-to-back on Friday.