Following an impressive performance in his G League debut on Friday, Golden State Warriors' rookie Reece Beekman delivered another quality showing against the Valley Suns on Saturday at Kaiser Permanente Arena.
Unfortunately Beekman was almost a lone positive for Santa Cruz, with the Golden State G League affiliate unable to repeat their 133-118 victory over the same opponent at the same venue 24 hours earlier.
Reece Beekman had 24 points in the Warriors' 133-104 G League loss
The Warriors went behind by nine after the opening period and were down 75-50 at half-time, leaving a margin they were never able to respond from despite a more competitive second-half.
Following a 21-point, nine-rebound, seven-assist performance on Friday, Beekman backed that up with a team-high 24 points that came on 9-of-17 shooting from the floor and 2-of-5 from three-point range. The two-way contracted guard also added four rebounds and six assists despite the team's disappointing turnaround from Friday's outing.
The Warriors had been red hot 24 hours earlier, shooting over 52% from the floor and over 42% from three-point range. It was far different on Saturday, having struggled in shooting 38.1% from the field and just 25.6% from beyond the arc.
Rookie center Quinten Post had impressed in his G League debut, recording a massive 25 points, 15 rebounds and four assists on 10-of-19 shooting. The 52nd overall pick did have 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists on Saturday, but he shot just 7-of-22 from the floor including 1-of-6 from three-point range.
Post wasn't the only Santa Cruz player to prove inefficient in the 29-point defeat. Every Warrior starter had scored at least 16 points on Friday, yet only Beekman reached that mark on the second night of the back-to-back.
6'6" sharpshooter Blake Hinson had 18 points and eight rebounds off the bench, shooting 6-of-14 from the floor including 3-of-10 from three-point range. Yuri Collins also had 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting off the bench, but the 23-year-old point guard committed five of the Warriors' 15 turnovers -- the Suns only had eight in contrast.
Former ninth overall pick Kevin Knox had 11 rebounds in a starting role, yet only had two points on 1-of-5 shooting. It was another former first-round pick, TyTy Washington Jr., who stole the show with an eye-catching performance that included 31 points (5-of-7 three-point shooting), eight rebounds, 10 assists and three steals. It was quite the turnaround for Phoenix's two-way contracted guard who shot just 7-of-22 from the floor on Friday.
Santa Cruz will have nearly a week off until they host Bronny James and the South Bay Lakers at Kaiser Permanente Arena next Friday.