WASHINGTON D.C. — Steph Curry returned after missing three games with a left ankle sprain, but the Warriors didn’t need to fully unleash him to discard the Wizards.
Curry opened the scoring with a 27-footer in the first minute of the game, giving the Warriors a lead they’d never relinquish. In his first game back from a left ankle sprain, Curry logged 24 minute and six assists in 24 minutes.
Washington is expected to be among the worst teams in the league. They routinely made defensive miscues and at times lacked intensity, which the Warriors pounced on to build a commanding lead.
The Warriors (6-1) never trailed in a 125-112 victory. Six Warriors scored double figures in the team’s fourth straight win. Former Warriors Jordan Poole led the Wizards with 24 points.
Especially in the first half, the Warriors didn’t let the Wizards off the hook for being undisciplined.
On one play, Poole gambled on a standard chest pass, giving Gary Payton II a free lane to the rim, which he used to feed Trayce Jackson-Davis for a dunk. Right before that, Curry missed a contested left-handed floater, only to pick up a loose ball after two bounces under the hoop, setting up another Jackson-Davis jam.
Often because of a lack of attention to detail or a lack of hustle, the Wizards allowed the Warriors to grab 11 offensive rebounds in the first half.
The Warriors didn’t play close to their A-game, either. Jordan Poole stripped Brandin Podziemski for a fast-break slam and later pick-sixed a poor cross-court pass from Gary Payton II. The Warriors shot just 32.4% from 23 and missed nine free throws.
But they didn’t need their A-game in the Capital One Arena.
Poole and Curry swapped 3-pointers in the waning seconds of the first half, with Curry beating the buzzer to give Golden State a 54-45 advantage.
Curry played the first six minutes of the game and then the last six minutes of the second quarter. He didn’t start the second half, emerging from the tunnel one minute into the third quarter and stretching at the scorer’s table. He played the final seven minutes of the third quarter and finished the game.
As Curry sat to begin the third quarter, Brandin Podziemski exited the game and didn’t return due to illness. That left Golden State without a point guard. Even still, their double-digit lead held steady.
Draymond Green hit a pair of 3-pointers, and although the Wizards did a better job finishing possessions with defensive rebounds, they couldn’t get enough stops to make up significant ground.
Curry drilled a wide-open corner 3 to push the Warriors’ lead to 73-57 halfway through the third. He threw a fist pump after getting an and-1 floater to go through contact from Johnny Davis. In his seven third-quarter minutes, Curry poured in 15 points.
As Curry sat to start the fourth quarter, the Wizards cut Golden State’s lead to five. But Steve Kerr resisted going back to Curry before he had to, and the mostly bench units regained their footing. Hield converted his second and-1 with a backdoor cut and slam, pushing Golden State’s advantage back to 11 halfway through the period.
When Curry subbed back in for the last five minutes, Golden State led by nine. It wasn’t quite a save situation, but the Warriors brought in their closer anyway.
The offense instantly opened up. Kyle Anderson flew in for a poster dunk. Green sank his third triple. Then Green found Jackson-Davis for an alley-oop. In 90 seconds with Curry back on the floor, the Warriors stretched their lead from nine to 14.
When asked pregame about how excited he was for Curry to rejoin the team after missing three games, Kerr said he didn’t need to elaborate. It’s Steph Curry, after all.
The coach was right. Curry’s impact is so clear, it doesn’t need definition. Hasn’t for years.
