The champion opened the NBA preseason with a win. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Washington Wizards 96:87 in a game that had been played at a manageable level for a long time. The rust can still be seen on the stars during the guest performance in Tokyo, but James Wiseman shines.
Golden State Warriors (1-0) – Washington Wizards (0-1) 96:87 (BOXSCORE)
The No. 2 pick of 2020, who has not played an NBA game since April last year due to injury concerns, was the bright spot in an otherwise tough start to the preseason. Wiseman was by far the top scorer on both sides with 20 points off the bench at 8/11 from the field and 8 rebounds.
The center showed fluid movements, delivered several dunks – including a smashing poster against Wizards big Kristaps Porzingis – and also helped to keep the opponent at a distance in the closing stages. A left-hand hookshot and two free throws sealed the Warriors’ victory.
Otherwise, no other warrior came up with a double-digit score. Second-round pick Ryan Rollins still had 8 points, Jonathan Kuminga had 6 and 3 assists (with 3 turnovers). The starters, on the other hand, were still very far from the regular season rhythm. Stephen Curry finished the game in 13 minutes with 6 points and 4 losses at 1/7 from the field, things were worse for Jordan Poole (5, 1/9 FG, 19 minutes) or Andrew Wiggins (5, 1/8, 16 minutes).
Of the Dubs stars, only Klay Thompson got a break in front of an initially enthusiastic audience in Tokyo, while the Warriors and Wizards are guests at the Japan Games in Asia. Otherwise, the starting five were top-class (Curry, Poole, Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney), but that didn’t change a weak start.
In the first quarter, Golden State got just 16 points on the scoreboard, the Wizards had even more problems (12). Both teams initially scored less than 25 percent from the field and conceded a lot of ball losses, especially in Washington the three-pointer quota remained manageable throughout the game (5/35 three-pointers, 14.3 percent).
The best thrower at the Wizards was Rui Hachimura at his home game (13 and 9 rebounds), who also had no luck with throwing (0/4 three-pointer, 3/7 FT), but showed some good attacks into the zone. Bradley Beal was allowed 18 minutes and marked 9 points (4/8 FG), Porzingis had 7 points (3/10 FG), 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in 21 minutes.
