The Golden State Warriors beat the San Antonio Spurs 118-112 on Friday at Chase Center, keeping their long-shot hopes of advancing to the elimination round of the in-season tournament alive. Here are three instant, in-depth reactions from the Warriors' much-needed win over Victor Wembanyama and the bottom-dwelling Spurs.
Moses Moody shines as spot starter
Draymond Green is set to return from his five-game suspension for choking Rudy Gobert on Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings. Considering Steve Kerr said before the game that Green is set to play his normal minutes load, expect him to start at Golden 1 Center. Odds are that Kevon Looney is on the floor for tipoff, too, matching up with longtime foil Domantas Sabonis.
As the 82-game grind wears on and the Warriors want a spark, opt to downsize or simply need a change, though, don't be surprised if Moses Moody becomes Kerr's favorite spot starter. He opened on Friday for the second time this season, starting in place of Chris Paul, immediately proving his worth next to the Dubs' regulars.
Golden State largely switched two through five with the starters, but began the game with Moody as Victor Wembanyama's primary matchup. He held his own just fine against the Spurs rookie sensation, fighting hard on the glass and keeping Wembanyama in front of him off the dribble.
Moody was an offensive plus, too. He set a pin-down for Klay Thompson in the corner on the game's first possession, rolling out of it for an easy layup as two defenders stayed with the ball. Moody found Thompson for a triple shortly thereafter while serving as the post hub as the Warriors ran split action, looking plenty comfortable across the floor in basic offensive flow.
Don't forget that soaring offensive boards have become the new normal for Moody since the end of last season.
But what really stuck out offensively for Moody was his shot-making. Teams aren't afraid of Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins launching jumpers at this point. San Antonio offered Moody similar disrespect on the perimeter, but he made the defense pay with confident pull-up jumpers.
Moody struggled a bit getting around screens on the ball and didn't provide much off the bounce in the halfcourt. He's just a solidly reliable and consistently active player on both sides of the ball, though, the type of role-playing wing who doesn't take anything from what his team is trying to accomplish.
Moody's made a lasting if somewhat subtle case for more minutes over the first month of the regular season. Finally, it seems like the coaching staff has reacted accordingly.
Warriors push hard for early offense
Bringing the notoriously deliberate Paul off the bench, Golden State clearly looked to juice its dormant transition attack from the opening tip against the Spurs. The Warriors routinely pitched the ball ahead after misses and even makes and dead balls, pointedly striving to create efficient looks as the ball changed sides.
Curry overthrew a somewhat casual Wiggins running up the floor early in the game, resulting in a turnover. Thompson had another run-out a few possessions later that should've been a layup, but couldn't connect at the rim. The Dubs were undeterred by those unforced errors, though, producing pace out of thin air when even when great shots didn't materialize, bigs were streaking down the floor and the Spurs thwarted them in transition.
Thompson, who got off the ball drawing two versus San Antonio as well as he has all season, doesn't need to hoist early-offense corner triples over Wembanyama. Trayce Jackson-Davis isn't exactly an optimal open-floor receiver in traffic. Wiggins should absolutely be the beneficiary of some run-outs and hit-aheads, but going at Wembanyama 1-on-1 at the rim is a fool's errand.
Who cares?
Golden State has never played slower during the Kerr era, the byproduct of Paul's integration, Green's suspension and a team-wide commitment to taking care of the ball. Kerr told ClutchPoints a couple weeks ago he wants to play faster, and Friday's game was the most decisive the Dubs have been trying to accomplish that goal.
Kerr: "Yes to both. I do think it’s interesting we were No. 1 in pace last year and No. 1 in turnovers. We didn’t like that combination. We wanted to be more middle of the pack in both. I think getting Chris aboard is helping us cut our TOs back…That’s great. We want that…"
— Jack Winter (@ArmstrongWinter) November 10, 2023
Rake-and-takes into pick-and-pops from Dario Saric—a game-changer offensively once again—and Jonathan Kuminga leak-out contests are the ideal manifestation of that aim.
Pretty much any opportunity Golden State takes to get out in the open floor is a worthwhile one by now, though. Look for the Dubs to continue seeking them out going forward, especially with Green back in the lineup.
Gary Payton II changes the game
The Warriors sorely missed Gary Payton II in recent losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns. He's not just an elite on-ball defender and ultra-disruptive helper, but imbues his team with energy on both ends of the floor pretty much every time Kerr calls his number. That was certainly no different on Friday, Payton playing for the first time since straining a muscle in his left foot on November 16th.
Entering a few minutes into the second quarter off the bench behind Paul, Saric, Kuminga and even rookies Brandin Podziemski and Jackson-Davis, Payton wasted no time making his unique presence felt. His towering block of Wembanyama came barely more than 20 seconds after he first took the floor, bringing Chase Center to its feet and giving Golden State some much-needed life.
Gary said N🚫PE
📺 @NBCSAuthentic pic.twitter.com/EnNgz4MZrS
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) November 25, 2023
Payton was everywhere against the Spurs, racking up deflections, hounding ball-handlers and making typically smart, quick plays with and without the ball offensively.
This possession might be the peak of the Dubs' halfcourt offense this season. The ball was pinging before Payton caught a cutting Kuminga's kickout and immediately got into a dribble hand-off with Curry, but he's probably the only player on the roster with the processing speed, athletic ability and finishing prowess to so quickly make that read, catch on the roll and finish around Wembanyama.
Payton's playing time will fluctuate as the season continues based on opposing personnel and game-specific circumstances. But Friday's game laid bare what's been obvious for the better part of two seasons and counting when he's healthy: The Warriors are at their best when Payton is making a major difference.
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