STOCKTON, Calif. — James Wiseman made his NBA G League debut with the Santa Clara Warriors on Thursday. It had been 11 months since the Golden State Warriors big man last played in a professional game. Emotions were running high leading up to the game, so Wiseman tried a couple of things to calm his nerves and relax his mind.

One of those ideas involved the help of Brooklyn Nets superstar and former Warrior, Kevin Durant.

“I was nervous. But I meditated this morning to chill, calm me down,” Wiseman said. “And also I played 2K last night. I was getting buckets with KD (Kevin Durant).”

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The 7-footer played 20 minutes and scored 18 points while pulling down six boards. The Warriors center had the highest plus-minus on the team with a plus-9. His team lost the game, but it was a major win for the organization.

Golden State is one step closer to having its prized young big man back in action and being at full strength for the first time this season. Draymond Green returns to action on Monday, and then Andre Iguodala and Gary Payton II should be off the injured list soon.

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Stephen Curry and the gang have won back-to-back games. They are now tied with Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies for the second seed in the Western Conference.

There are only a handful of games left for the Warriors, and getting Wiseman back will be a nice boost. While expectations must be tempered after so much time off, he could still impact the frontcourt rotation in spots. And, hopefully, Kevin Durant and NBA 2K will help him along the way.