The Warriors played their most impressive game of the season, against their weakest opponent, and thanks to Damion Lee achieved a more satisfying result.
Lee’s 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining gave the Warriors a 129-128 win over the Bulls on Sunday at United Center in Chicago, notching their first victory of the season and thereby avoiding the team's worst start since 2007-08 -- two years before the franchise drafted Stephen Curry.
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The Warriors trailed by nine with less than four minutes remaining but outscored Chicago 16-8 over the final 3:49.
Here are three takeaways from the comeback victory:
Waiting for Steph
It’s coming. It is coming. It’s going to come.
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But when? The Warriors have to hope his 13-point third quarter ignites something good.
Curry, one of the league’s true superstars and an all-time great shooter, is searching for his lost shot. He scored a game-high 36 points, but shot only 11-of-25 from the field, including 5-of-15 from deep. There’s very little rhythm, very little timing and very little splashing.
The relocation triples from the corners, usually money, were failing him. The mismatch triples have abandoned him. He even missed a fourth-quarter layup.
The best news regarding Curry is that he made nine more free throws, extending his streak of consecutive makes from the line to 64 -- a franchise record.
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Second unit showing spunk
If it appeared the members of the Warriors’ second unit played better than the starters, your eyes were not deceiving you. They surely set a better tone.
With Lee (12 points, 4-of-5 shooting from deep) leading the way, the reserves cut into deficits by defending with energy and finding ways to put the ball in the basket.
Lee’s consistent effort and energy seemed to spread across to teammates Eric Paschall, Jordan Poole, Brad Wanamaker and Kevon Looney. Lee was plus-11 for the game and Looney was a team-best plus-12.
If the starters can find a similar level of energy and resourcefulness, the Warriors might be onto something.
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Wiggins’ ecstasy
After spending the first two games living down to his reputation as an underachiever, Andrew Wiggins showed up.
Wiggins scored 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. He added some decent defense, along with nine rebounds and four assists.
Wiggins was aggressive and, moreover, determined and efficient. It was the kind of performance the Warriors want to see on at least a semi-regular basis.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, Wiggins’ fellow wing, Kelly Oubre Jr., continued his agonizing start, scoring six points on 3-of-16 shooting, including 0-of-6 from deep.