Warriors rookie lives up to reputation as Braxton Key delivers mammoth performance

After some visa issues following his acquisition to the Golden State Warriors on a two-way contract, Australian point guard Taran Armstrong finally made his G League debut with Santa Cruz at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Friday.

Armstrong played 23 minutes off the bench in his first game in a Warrior uniform, but Santa Cruz were unable to capitalize on a late lead in suffering a 112-110 defeat to the Wisconsin Herd.

Warriors rookie Taran Armstrong had seven assists in his G League debut

A Blake Hinson three gave the Warriors a 110-108 lead in the final minute, before an Henry Ellenson tip-in for the Herd with five seconds left tied the scores. From that point the worst possible result for Santa Cruz should have been overtime, yet Javan Johnson inexplicably turned the ball over and fouled Stephen Thompson who calmly made two free-throws to deliver Wisconsin the win.

The late-game meltdown means Santa Cruz have lost both home games against the Herd over the last three days, having lost 116-98 in a far more one-sided contest on Wednesday.

Having come to the Warriors with a reputation as a pass-first point guard, Armstrong certainly showcased that with five assists in the first-half and seven for the game. The 23-year-old missed his only two shots for the game and subsequently failed to record a point, having finished with one rebound and one steal while committing three turnovers in the two-point loss.

It was fellow recent two-way signee Braxton Key who once again stuffed the box score for Santa Cruz, having tallied 30 points, 13 rebounds and three steals off the bench in his franchise debut on Wednesday.

Key unsurprisingly earned his first start on Friday, finishing with a mammoth 25 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, seven steals and three blocks in 36 minutes. Renowned for his defensive ability upon his arrival to the Warriors, Key's 10 combined stocks (steals and blocks) is an extraordinary statement to his ability on that end of the floor.

The 6'8" forward's offensive efficiency also continues to be excellent over his first two games with Santa Cruz. After shooting 10-of-16 on Wednesday, Key went 8-of-12 from the floor on Friday including 2-of-2 from 3-point range.

Having shot less than 21% prior to his arrival in Santa Cruz, Key is now 4-of-7 from beyond the arc across his first two games. Speaking of shooting, Hinson hit six threes on his way to a team-high 34 points, but it ultimately wasn't enough in what was a fifth-straight loss for the Warriors.