Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (left) and Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson (right) share a laugh before Fri Dec 22, 2023 at the Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Friday night the Golden State Warriors (13-14) handled the Washington Wizards (5-22)129-118. Jordan Poole was greeted with cheers from the crowd. Considering what he did when he was with Golden State he more than deserved the accolade. He was clearly moved by the reaction from the fans.

Stephen Curry continues to roll and it has gotten even better with Klay Thompson really heating up. With the absence of Draymond Green, Jonathna Kuminga has added so much to the starting roster as has Brandin Podziemski. Andrew Wiggins will be out for this game due to general illness. The Warriors bench has been terrific with Chris Paul, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Moses Moody. The Warriors have been playing great ball lately winning three games in a row and looking to make it four.

The Warriors want to come out in the first quarter setting the tone; they want to dictate play from the get-go. It did not go exactly as they had wanted. Golden State really struggled to begin the quarter. Four minutes in, they got going but it was the Wizards who got going early leading 15-7 at 7:33. It took the Warriors nearly the entire quarter but after the first 12 minutes Golden State had taken the lead 28-25. The Warriors were being tested in the opening quarter. There was more good news for the Warriors; coming out of the quarter without a single turnover.

At the half, the Warriors continued to hold the lead 63-61, but the Wizards continued to hang around winning the second quarter 36-35. Curry had 17 points in the half and Kuminga finished the half with 16.  Jackson-Davis was terrific off the bench with 8 points and 9 rebounds looking for his second double double in a row.

The Warriors began to extend their lead as the clock began to wind down on the third quarter. The Wizards had continued to play close through much of the quarter until Golden State started to distance themselves from Washington. 

With under two minutes left in the third the Warriors had taken a 101-80 lead, their largest of the game. Offensive and defensive excellence told the story of the third quarter. They committed their first foul of the quarter with seconds left. Their two point lead at the half had ballooned into 18, 101-83. Through three quarters Golden State had protected the ball really well with only eight turnovers.

Defending without fouling was the key for Golden State in the fourth quarter as the bench took over to finish this game. An 11-0 Washington run sent this game in a Wizard direction with 2:14 left in the game. The Warrior 23 point lead had been cut to 13 with less than two minutes on the clock. The bench held on winning the game 129-118.

Curry had 30 points and Kuminga finished with 22 in another phenomenal game. Thompson added another 20 points and the Warriors put this game away in the second half. Jackson-Davis finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Rebounds made a huge difference in this game. Golden State had 57 while the Wizards had 39 quite a disparity. Great ball protection resulted in only 12 turnovers. The Warriors had a balanced attack and the result was a nice win.

Despite the loss, the Wizard’s Jordan Poole had a productive game with 25 points. He was greeted with a lot of enthusiasm from the fans which was great to see considering what he did for the Warriors in his years with Golden State.

Post game notes: Friday night the Warriors took on the Wizards at Chase Center. This game follows the Golden State overtime win 132-126 over the first place Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. Curry scored 33 points in this dramatic win taking out Jaylen Brown and Company. 

The season leader for the Wizards is Kyle Kuzma with a game average of 23.6 points per game. Washington also has a familiar face with the tenacious Poole who is also one of their main threats. The Wizards have been struggling this season and Golden State beat the odds to even their season record at .500. 

The Warriors will continue Saturday night with another home game playing the Portland Trail Blazers. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 5:30 PM.