Andrew Wiggins scored 24 points in his Warriors debut but the Dubs' comeback attempt from 21 down fell just short in a 125-120 loss to the Lakers on Saturday night at Chase Center.
Four players made their Warriors debut on Saturday and while the team battled into the fourth quarter, they fell a little short in a 125-120 loss to the Lakers on Saturday at Chase Center.
Playing his first game as a Warrior, Andrew Wiggins had 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting, connecting on three of his four 3-point attempts while also contributing five steals and three rebounds in 31 minutes. Wiggins, who the Dubs acquired from Minnesota on Thursday in a trade that sent D’Angelo Russell to the Timberwolves, connected on a transition 3-pointer from the corner with 3:51 left in the first quarter for his first points as a Warrior.
TEAM LEADERS
Marquese Chriss shot 12-for-15 from the field for 26 points, falling one point shy of his career-high, and Jordan Poole had 19 points off the bench as the Dubs’ bid to come back from a 21-point deficit in the third quarter fell a little bit short.
That the Warriors faced a 21-point deficit in the first place had everything to do with a sluggish start to the second half. The Dubs rallied with an 11-3 run to close the second quarter and enter halftime down by just seven, but the Lakers doubled that advantage in the first 75 seconds of the third quarter, and that run was extended to a 13-0 spurt before the Dubs got on the board in the third quarter.
But the Warriors never stopped battling. One of five players to sign with the Warriors in a span of 24 hours, guard Zach Norvell Jr. helped the Warriors come back with a solid all-around game (7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists), and he was a plus-10 in his 17 minutes on the floor. While Norvell was signed from the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League, Jeremy Pargo was picked up from the Santa Cruz Warriors, scoring six points in his Golden State debut.
Additionally, Oakland native Juan Toscano-Anderson made his regular season NBA debut, scoring five points and grabbing three rebounds. One of the best moments of the game occurred in the first quarter when immediately after checking into the game, Toscano-Anderson, who played the preseason with the Dubs and the last two regular seasons in Santa Cruz, attempted and made a 3-pointer on his first shot as an NBA player.
Bowman, while not a Warriors newcomer, had his two-way contract converted to a standard contract on Friday, and he responded on Saturday by dishing out a career-high 11 assists, most of which resulted in Chriss shots at the rim.
After taking the top team in the West down to the wire, the Warriors will face another tough test on Monday night when they welcome the Heat to Chase Center.
HONORING KOBE
Saturday was the first Warriors home game in 15 days, making it the first game at Chase Center since the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant on Jan. 26. The Warriors honored the Lakers legend, as well as the other eight victims in the helicopter crash, in several ways, including tribute t-shirts and a special video that aired in arena just before tipoff.
More Notables ...
- The Warriors fell to 7-18 (.280) at home this season and 12-41 (.226) overall… The 41st loss of the season insures the Warriors’ streak of seasons with a record better than .500 ends at five consecutive.
- The Warriors and Lakers season-series stands at 2-0 in Los Angeles’ favor… The teams next play on February 27 at Chase Center (7:30 p.m. PST tip-off).
- The Warriors recorded a season-high 15 steals (previous: 14 on 12/15 vs. SAC).
- Golden State made 51.7 percent of their shots from the field, losing their first game of the season when shooting 50 percent-or-better (2-1).
- The Warriors dished out 31 assists, marking the ninth time this season handing out 30-or-more (5-4 in those contests).
- Tonight marked the Warriors’ 368th consecutive sellout, the fourth-longest active streak in the NBA.
- Ky Bowman dished out a career-high 11 assists (previous: 8 on 11/4 vs. Portland) and tied a career-high with five made free throws (career-high six free throw attempts).
- Andrew Wiggins made his Warriors debut, finishing with 24 points (8-12 FG, 3-4 3P, 5-9 FT), two rebounds, three assists, a season-high five steals and one block… It marks the most points in a Warriors debut since Kevin Durant scored 27 points on October 25, 2016 vs. San Antonio.
- Marquese Chriss tallied a season-high 26 points (previous: 17 on 11/19 at MEM) and one-point shy of his career-high scoring mark (27 on 2/4/17 with PHO vs. MIL)… His 12 made field goals are a career high (previous: nine, four times).
- Jeremy Pargo and Zach Norvell Jr. made their Warriors debuts, becoming the second and third Gonzaga alums to appear in a game for the Warriors (Ronnie Turiaf)… Norvell Jr. scored his first-ever NBA points on 2-of-4 from the field and 2-of-3 from three-point range for seven total points.
- Juan Toscano-Anderson made his NBA debut in the game’s first half… An Oakland native, his uniform #95 is the highest ever assigned by the Warriors (previous #77, Vladimir Radmanović).
- Jordan Poole tallied a reserve-high 19 points (8-12 FG, 3-7 3P), his 15th game scoring in double figures... His eight made field goals tied a career-high mark (1/18 vs. Orlando).
- Alen Smailagić matched his career-high with 10 points off the bench (3-5 FG, 1-2 3P, 3-4 FT).