Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Mon Jan 3, 2022 (AP News photo)

Poole Leads Warriors To Win Over Heat 115-108

By Barbara Mason

Just when we were all wondering when we would see Draymond Green back in the lineup, we got our answer Monday night when the Warriors (29-7) took on the Miami Heat (23-15). The Warriors would need him against a very tough Miami team .The Warriors would overcome, the final was 115-108.

Golden State would play a near perfect first quarter leading 33-25. They had shot 57% and had six from downtown. In the second quarter the Warriors led by as much as 13 points but the Heat would dissolve that lead and tie up the game mid-way through the quarter. Miami had scored nine unanswered points. After two quarters the Warriors took back the lead 59-54 at halftime.

Green was spectacular in the half with 10 assists. Andrew Wiggins led the pack with 16 points followed by Jordan Poole with 14 points. Golden State had 8 shots from downtown and only had four turnovers.

The Heat had a bit of a issue in the first quarter on defense. The most pressing issue for Miami were the turnovers which the Warriors took full advantage of. Some were uncharacteristic while some were due to the Warriors defense.

This is what hurt the Heat the most. What had kept them in this game was the play of Jimmy Butler who scored 12 points and Kyle Lowry with 11 points. The three point shooting really got on track for Miami in the second quarter. The Heat are also short-handed as are many teams across the league. They have five out with injury and five out on Covid protocol.

The Warriors would have a lot of work to do in the second half. As the third quarter began to wind down the Heat had a terrible loss as Jimmy Butler rolled his right ankle and was helped to the Miami locker room.

Butler was a huge part of keeping the Heat in this game and had shot 22 points just prior to his injury. After three quarters the Warriors led 89-82. With the Warriors doing so much so well it was a testament to the great play by the Heat to even stay close.

With 5:36 remaining in the fourth quarter the Warriors were holding onto a 106-100 lead trying to put away the Heat who had been stubborn all quarter in the absence of Butler and refused to go away. In the final four minutes of this game the Warriors kept coming up with stop after stop while the Golden State offense had come unglued. Poole had an amazing run with 32 points as they completely closed out the Heat.

The Warriors really cashed in by using Stephen Curry as a decoy in this game. Golden State has plenty of power when it comes to shooting from downtown so this strategy worked out well for the Warriors. The defense led by Green was superior and the offensive play of the Warriors was amazing. Poole with 32 points, Wiggins with 22, and Payton with 14 led the team.

The Warriors will be taking on the New Orleans Pelicans Thursday at Smoothie King Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM.