Gui Santos’ career night powers Warriors to three-month first

In what was an otherwise very underwhelming performance by the Golden State Warriors — edging the lowly Brooklyn Nets 109-106 in what was their first back-to-back wins in over three months — Gui Santos once again emerged as a bright spot.

The 6'7" forward became just the fourth Brazilian to top the 30-point mark in an NBA game. He joined Leandro Barbosa, Anderson Varejão and Nene Hilario on that list, as he finished his night with 31 points, three rebounds, an assist and two steals.

Santos — who received a three-year, $15 million extension from the Warriors on Feb. 28 — has been a steady contributor ever since Stephen Curry went down with a knee injury on Jan. 30. Since then, he's averaged 15.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals in 31.3 minutes per game.

With Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler going down, Santos has become one of the few true wings at Steve Kerr’s disposal, if not the only one. He's proven time and again this season he can fit alongside anybody, whether as a starter or off the bench. And with how thin the Warriors' front court is projected to be next season, Santos has a real chance to establish himself as a staple of that starting lineup.

“It's fun to see Gui really blossom… I think he's just feeling like he knows he's going to get a lot of minutes, and that I have faith in him, and he's got a lot of confidence in himself,” said Kerr postgame.

Warriors finally put together two in a row

"We looked like a team that was playing our seventh game in eleven days in seven cities. These games always terrify me," Kerr stated postgame

The Warriors returned home at 3:00 a.m. after a long, taxing road trip, and it showed early on. Golden State committed 24 turnovers through three quarters, 26 for the game — extending their streak of 20-turnover games to four. They couldn't slow down a Brooklyn squad made up largely of two-way players that came into the game as the NBA's worst offense, as the Nets led the Warriors 86-77 heading into the fourth.

But the Warriors flipped the script in the closing frame, fueled by efficient shooting and their 10 made free-throws, which helped turn a nine-point deficit into a three-point victory. Only three three-pointers were attempted in the fourth, and they made two of them.

One by Will Richard that gave the Warriors a 93-90 lead, and one by Draymond Green to tie the game at 100. They also shot 8-of-13 from two-point range, good enough for 61.5%, and committed just two turnovers. The win marked the Warriors’ first back-to-back victories since Jimmy Butler went down with an injury on Jan. 19.

Brandin Podziemski continued to stack up productive performances, finishing with 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. Gary Payton II extended a now career-high streak of double-figure games to nine, as he chipped in 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists. De'Anthony Melton bounced back from a rough, scoreless outing in Dallas with 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists and four steals. Porzingis, meanwhile, despite his six turnovers, continued to look more and more comfortable, finishing with 17 points, five rebounds and two assists.

Staying loyal through tough times

"You just can't be the guy that quits when it gets tough," said Draymond Green postgame.

Draymond Green delivered a thoughtful message about how difficult this season has been and how easy it would've been to simply throw in the towel, something Green prides himself on not doing. He mentioned how important it was for him to keep fighting for guys like Santos, Podziemski and even Melton — who are trying to build careers for themselves — despite how plagued by injuries the team has been.

"You don't gain respect in great times," quoted Draymond, who has received his fair share of criticism throughout the season. But one thing you can't criticize him for is his respect and commitment to this organization. As he mentioned, he could've easily thrown in the towel after the injuries to Butler, Curry and Horford, but he chose not to. That's not who Draymond Green is, and you have to respect it.