SAN FRANCISCO, CA – On Friday night, Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole admitted he got to live out every young basketball player's dream. You know, the one where you're in the backyard counting down from 3 to the buzzer and try to hit the jumper.
During the Warriors' nail-biting win over the New Orleans Pelicans, head coach Steve Kerr drew up a play for Poole out of a timeout with the Dubs trailing by one. Typically, in this situation, the ball would be in Stephen Curry's hands for a chance to win or make the potential game-winning pass. With Curry out, however, Kerr looked to the night's hot hand in Jordan Poole.
Poole drove to the cup off a pass from Nico Mannion, beating his defender, and scoring at the rim. The layup gave the Warriors a a 123-122 lead with just 21.4 seconds remaining.
“That's stuff that you dream about as a kid, hitting a game winner or making a game winning shot. It was good to have fans back, to feel the energy. This is just stuff that you dream about as a kid, and when you're in the gym shooting by yourself, you're counting down the clock,” Warriors talent Jordan Poole told ClutchPoints.
The Warriors were able to get a stop on the ensuing Pelicans possession, which Jordan Poole then followed with the game-sealing free throws.
“Whether it's a free throw or pull up, layup or whatever. It's good for the heart. It's good for the soul. It's pretty fulfilling,” the Warriors guard explained.
A lot of people dream of being in this situation. Most never get the opportunity. But Jordan Poole did Friday night, and he took full advantage of it.
The second year guard out of Michigan finished with a career high 38 points in the win to go along with his four rebounds and six assists. He shot an efficient 12-of-22 from the field while knocking down a career-high 10-of-11 attempts at the free throw line.
The Golden State Warriors will now welcome their final opponent of the regular season to the Chase Center Sunday night as Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies come to town. With both Memphis and Golden State tied at 38-33, the winner of Sunday's game will take the 8-seed into the play-in tournament next week and most likely face the Los Angeles Lakers. The loser will get the 9-seed and face the San Antonio Spurs in a single-game elimination tournament.
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