Despite Game 1 Loss, Warriors Feel ‘Whole’ With Andrew Wiggins Back

(CTN News) – The Golden State Warriors were on the verge of being a whole team for the second year in a row. Last year, it was their best player. Their X factor was this season.

The Warriors got back the missing piece to their puzzle in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Sacramento Kings with Andrew Wiggins’ return.

Curry said a roster has to fit together. He’s a big part of everything we do. You want your players to be healthy. We didn’t have it for a long time, so we held the fort. Now we have it back.”

The game was Wiggins‘ first since February 13, after he missed two months. Wiggins looked good despite the long layoff.

He scored 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting and blocked four shots in 28 minutes, which is tied for the most in a half in his career. The Warriors coach said Wiggins would play the last five to six minutes of each quarter and the rest the next. It wasn’t clear if this was Wiggins’ plan for Game 2.

Kerr said it was awesome to see him back. “It’s okay to have Wiggs back. Our team makes sense with Wiggs back. It was great to see him play, but he maybe wore out a little bit in the second half, given he hadn’t played in over two months. He was great.”

It’s amazing what he did tonight after missing three months of NBA basketball. Barely breaks a sweat.

In the Warriors’ first-round series against the Nuggets last season, Curry came off the bench to play Wiggins.

First time coming off the bench in his 8-season career — regular season and playoffs.

There’s a lot of adrenaline, so there’s a lot of anxiousness to get back out there,” Curry said. “The one thing you do have is experience. … When you go into the memory bank and remember what to expect, you build your confidence. … Then you turn that momentum into even more energy for Game 2.

Afterwards, Wiggins felt good. Walking to the news conference room, he said he was tired, but not winded or out of shape. During the game, his instincts and physical skills were on point. He went 1-of-8 from 3-point range, which wasn’t good.

Golden State was trailing by one with 10.8 seconds left when Thompson drove toward the hoop. It went to the left corner, where Wiggins was waiting unattended.

Despite Wiggins’ best efforts, his shot hit the front of the rim. It wasn’t a bad shot choice, even with that miss.

“I’ll take that every day,” Thompson said.

“Take that shot all day long. Left corner 3, that’s where he’s at.”

Kerr also criticized some Warriors attempts against the Kings. Shot selection wasn’t the reason Golden State lost Game 1.

17 of Sacramento’s offensive rebounds were offensive, and 21 of its second-chance points were second-chance points. A 15-4 run helped the Kings come back from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, they were up one. Warriors say offensive rebounding defined the game.

Getting that fixed is the Warriors’ main adjustment heading into Game 2.

Adapting to different situations is what Curry thrives at. “It’s different from the regular season because you play the same team. Seeing the game and making the adjustments makes all the difference. … We’re confident about what that means.”

SEE ALSO:

The Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger Tribute To The Stadium’s Return