As Kevon Looney took the court Friday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, he was without several of his supporting castmates in starters Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins.
But it didn't hold him back -- in fact, he rose to the occasion.
Golden State's beloved big man finished the 118-106 loss at Wells Fargo Center with 14 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists -- just one dish shy of the first triple-double of his career. It would have happened, too, if his teammate Jordan Poole would have tacked on one more trey to his four 3-pointers on the night following a pass from Looney.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"I thought I had it," Looney said after the loss. "I thought JP was going to make the last three, but you know, that's how things go.
"I got close, though."
Looney's nine assists were a career high, and his inspiring performance Friday was a bright spot as the Warriors fell to 14-16 to start the 2022-23 NBA season.
But once again, the veteran showed he's a star in his own right -- all while going up against Philadelphia's 7-foot center Joel Embiid.
Golden State Warriors
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
As the Warriors look to survive this stretch of the season without their star point guard Curry, Looney's presence on the glass, shooting from the field and facilitating on offense becomes all the more important.
RELATED: Without Steph, Dubs need best of Klay, if his knee will allow
And maybe he'll eventually end up with that triple-double after all.
