What we learned as Waters plays hero in Warriors’ preseason win

Author:
NBC Sports Bay Area

HONOLULU, Hawaii – After four days of training camp at BYU-Hawaii, the Warriors ventured over to the University of Hawaii on Saturday and brought fireworks to their preseason opener, beating the Los Angeles Clippers 91-90 on a game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Lindy Waters III.

“What a great way to finish a great week,” coach Steve Kerr said after the win.

Outside of Waters, shooting wasn’t the Warriors’ strong point. Leading 53-49 at halftime, the Warriors shot 37.3 percent from the floor through the first two quarters and only 20 percent (5 of 25) behind the 3-point line. The numbers got worse as the game went on, too. Overall, the Warriors shot 33.7 percent and 22.9 percent from three (11 of 48).

Steph Curry, who sat the entire second half and played a total of 14 minutes, couldn’t give the fans the type of the show they came to see. He scored nine points to lead the Warriors in the first half, but was 2-of-8 shooting and missed all four of his 3-point attempts. At the free-throw line, Curry was a perfect 5 of 5.

The Warriors are pushing to become a top defensive team again, and there were flashes of that for spurts. By halftime, the Warriors already had nine steals and had scored 20 points off 14 Clippers turnovers. They finished with 14 steals and seven blocked shots while holding the Clippers to 38.5-percent shooting and 22.9 percent beyond the arc.

Waters was the hero of the day, making five 3-pointers, including four in the fourth quarter.

“Man, shout out to Lindy Waters,” De’Anthony Melton said. “I knew from the jump that Lindy was going to hit some big shots tonight. I told him I need at least four threes tonight. … Lindy came out there shooting and I’m proud of him.”

Kerr added: “He’s a really good shooter, but he’s more than just a shooter. He’s got good size, he’s not just a spot-up guy. As you saw on that last one he came off a pin-down. So he’s a good shooting off movement, but he also understands the game well. We’re really thrilled to have him.

“We liked him in the past when we played against him. [Warriors general manager] Mike [Dunleavy] did a great job of finding him and trading for him. He’s definitely got the skills to play our style.”

Here are three takeaways from an exhilarating first win of the Warriors’ preseason slate.

Starting Lineup

All week, Kerr wouldn’t give the slightest hint to who would start the preseason opener with Andrew Wiggins out as he continues to be under the weather. Wiggins on Saturday wore a mask and was on the sidelines during the Warriors’ win.

When the Warriors scrimmaged Friday and had a group of Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green, it looked like that could be the first five on the floor. Kerr then warned reporters not to assume anything, and it turns out he wasn’t kidding.

The starting five was Curry, Melton, Kuminga, Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis. The first results weren’t great.

“Not great, but it’s preseason for everybody,” Kerr said. “We didn’t really have good rhythm coming out – slow start. But it’s still good to get those five guys on the floor and see what that looks like.”

They played the first seven minutes together and found themselves in a 17-12 hold before Kerr turned to his bench.

Melton scored eight points on 3-of-7 shooting in just 12 minutes.

Green, who like Curry and Melton didn’t play the second half, had two points, two steals, one rebound and one assist, but also two turnovers and three fouls. Kuminga’s seven rebounds led the Warriors, and he also scored seven points. Jackson-Davis added four points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal, but was the only starter with a negative plus/minus (minus-2).

While Kerr has maintained he sees Kuminga, whose plus-4 was best among starters, as a power forward more than a small forward, he says he’ll continue trying him next to Green and Jackson-Davis.

“Yeah, we want to continue looking at it,” Kerr said. “Obviously all three guys are talented players and you want to be able to play your best players together, but it has to click. We’ll keep trying.”

Finding Combinations

It wasn’t one or two players who first came off the bench, but a whole new five. That second unit was Podziemski, Gary Payton II, Hield, Kyle Anderson and Kevon Looney. Immediately, Looney blocked a shot and the group went on a 5-0 run to tie the game.

Moses Moody entered for the final five seconds after those five outscored the Clippers 14-6 to take a 26-23 lead after the first quarter.

“Loon comes in and immediately does what he does,” Kerr said. “He just makes things happen. It’s never going to get a headline – setting a screen, helping defensively – but he helps you win.”

To begin the second half, Kerr went with Podziemski, Hield, Moody, Kuminga and Jackson-Davis. That’s what this training camp was about, as well as the rest of the preseason: Finding who fits best with who.

“We had so many different combinations out there,” Kerr said. “I liked Gary’s activity defensively, Melton as well, BP. We’ve got guys who can disrupt offenses and turn that defense into offense for us.”

Moody Makes His Case

The preseason opener was another example of the numbers game being a tricky situation for Moody, as well as how he can force Kerr’s hand. Despite missing nearly all of the first quarter, Moody’s eight first-half points were second to only Curry. He ended scoring 12 points in 13 minutes on 4-of-9 shooting and cashed in one two of his five 3-point attempts.

His plus-14 was a game-high as he added four rebounds – three offensive – two steals, one assist and one block.

What made Kerr happiest was Moody shooting without hesitation and making quick decisions, the two areas he has emphasized most for Moody’s growth.

“He’s done a really good job in camp of just getting the shot off quickly and making that priority No. 1,” Kerr said. “He’s a really good shooter, and he’s at the point now in his career where he feels where the closeout is. I think early in his career he was more hesitant. But the offense flows a lot smoother when he just catches and shoots, and I love when he’s doing that, which he’s been doing all week.”

Next up for the Warriors is a showdown in Sacramento against the Kings on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center.

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