Kristaps Porzingis repeats the dose to lead Warriors over former team

Less than two weeks after torching his former team in Washington, Kristaps Porzingis repeated the dose with another impressive performance for the Golden State Warriors in a 131-126 win over the Wizards at Chase Center on Friday night.

Porzingis had 11 points in the first three minutes of Friday's outing, before finishing with a game-high 28 points to go with eight rebounds and three assists while shooting an efficient 9-of-17 from the floor and 5-of-11 from 3-point range.

Kristaps Porzingis and Gui Santos lead Warriors to win over Wizards

Golden State needed all of Porzingis' 11 fourth-quarter points, having found themselves down five with just over six minutes remaining. The Warriors had led 72-60 in a high-scoring first-half, before losing the third period 34-20 to surrender the advantage.

Porzingis, Gui Santos and Brandin Podziemski led the hosts to their third-straight win, combining for 77 points in the five-point victory. Coming off a career-high 31 points against the Brooklyn Nets 48 hours earlier, Santos had the second-best scoring game of his career, dropping 27 points on a highly efficient 8-of-12 shooting from the floor, 3-of-5 from 3-point range, and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line.

Podziemski added 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals, shooting 6-of-13 from the floor and converting on 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. The Warriors shot 51.8% from the floor and 43.2% from beyond the arc, while also limiting turnovers to just 12 after some horror giveaways across recent games.

Their defense against a lowly Wizards team was more of a concern, with the visitors shooting 52.6% from the floor and 42.9% from beyond the arc despite the absence of star duo Anthony Davis and Trae Young, while impressing young center Alex Sarr fouled out after only eight points and less than 23 minutes.

Gary Payton II (15), Pat Spencer (13) and LJ Cryer (12) each scored in double figures off the bench, while veteran forward Draymond Green had 10 assists (just three turnovers) and two blocks in his 32 minutes.

Yet it's Porzingis and Santos who continue to be major positives for Golden State over recent weeks. The latter's recent three-year, $15 million contract extension continues to look better by the game, while Porzingis' rising availibility and impact could lead to a significant deal in free agency.

The Warriors have taken advantage of three very winnable games, but the challenges will now come again starting with a visit to Denver to face the Nuggets on Sunday.