Golden State Warriors' forward makes strong return to G League in comeback win

Fresh of his first NBA points against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night, Golden State Warriors' forward Gui Santos has made a strong G League return with Santa Cruz.

Having played four minutes in his NBA debut against the Thunder, Santos was one of multiple Warriors assigned to the G League ahead of Santa Cruz's matchup with the G League Ignite on Friday night at Kaiser Permanente Arena.

Recent Golden State Warriors' signing Gui Santos led Santa Cruz to a comeback victory against the G League Ignite, scoring an efficient 29 points in the 121-112 victory.

Santos had 29 points, seven rebounds and two steals as the Warriors outscored Ignite by 18 in the second-half to record a nine-point win. The Brazilian shot 10-12 from the floor and 4-4 from the free-throw line, also recording a game-high +13 in plus-minus.

Originally drafted by the Warriors with the 55th overall pick in 2022, Santos was signed to the franchise's 14th roster last week. He took advantage of greater opportunity without first-round pick Brandin Podziemski, with the 20-year-old not assigned to the G League after 64 minutes with Golden State over their last two games.

The same could be said for two-way guard Lester Quinones who supplemented Santos with 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists. After celebrating his 23rd birthday on Thursday, Quinones nailed five of his 10 three-point attemps and shot 9-18 from the floor overall.

Second-round pick Trayce Jackson-Davis saw just over 24 minutes in the game, making his presence felt on the defensive end of the floor. The 23-year-old had four blocks and two steals, also adding 11 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in a strong double-double.

The Warriors had five players score in double figures amid 51.1% shooting from the floor. They limited Ignite to 48.4% shooting, recorded four more offensive rebounds and went to the free-throw line on seven more occasions.

Santa Cruz have now one their first three games after back-to-back wins to start the season last Friday and Saturday. They'll meet Ignite again at The Dollar Loan Center in Nevada on Sunday.