Player Ranks: Warriors vs. Cavs

It’s crazy to say, but the Golden State Warriors are on their first winning streak of the season, after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-101 Friday night at Chase Center.

It was an electric and highly entertaining game, in which the Dubs earned their best victory of the season, eliminating one of the best teams in the league.

Now let’s jump into game day tradition and rate the players, taking into account our expectations of each player, with a “B” representing their average game.

Note: The league average true shot percentage (TS) was 56.9% in Friday’s games.

Draymond Green

32 minutes, 2 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists, 1 steal, 5 fouls, 1 for 5 shooting, 20.0% TS, +2

It was really the first time this year that Green’s score had returned to where it had been for the past few years, and you know what? The Dubs will take it. Because it was vintage green. It was his best defensive performance of the year, by a landslide, and he also gave away 13 cents.

A late-game clutch float helped the Warriors win, but prevented Dray from being the fourth player in NBA history to have a scoreless double-double.

When Green plays like that on defense, the Warriors become contenders.

Rating: A-

Post-match bonus: Led the team in assists, tied for the team lead in rebounds.

Andre Wiggins

37 minutes, 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, 8 for 13 shots, 1 for 4 threes, 3 for 3 free throws, 69.8% TS, -3

Quiet excellence from Wiggins in this one. Solid defensive play from him, as he bounced between All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, and generally looked strong while doing so.

An effective attack within the limits of the system is exactly what the Dubs ask of it.

Rating: A-

Post-match bonus: The worst plus/minus of the team.

Kevon Looney

30 minutes, 7 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, shooting 3 for 4, free throws 1 for 1, 78.8% TS, +6

The Warriors held their ground on the glass against Cleveland’s two-center starting lineup of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, and Looney was the main reason they did that. He even came out and beat them in transition!

But the most important part of his game was that he played 30 minutes and looked effective. With James Wiseman out of rotation and the Warriors reluctant to give Green too many 5-minute small balls at this point in the season, Looney being able to play true starter minutes without faltering is huge.

Rating: A

Post-match bonus: Tied for team leader in rebounds.

Steph Curry

34 minutes, 40 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, 15 for 23 shooting, 6 for 11 threes, 4 for 6 free throws, 78.0% TS, +7

Before the game, I noted that Curry was averaging the most points per game of his career, on the highest true shooting percentage of his career, with the lowest turnover rate of his career.

It’s pretty safe to say that this stat will hold true for another day, at least.

And after the game, Steve Kerr said something that I take as a personal blow against me. And a precise, at that.

Curry turned in another vintage performance, using an 18-point fourth quarter to lead the Dubs to victory. He did a little bit of everything, from shaking opponents, turning to the Cleveland bench while a tie three was in the air, hitting the whole arena with his patented night move.

He was the best player in the NBA this year, and his numbers are video game level.

He had a wee bit of foul trouble early on and missed two free throws in the stretch. When these are literally the only nits to choose, you know you are doing something right.

And Steph Curry does a lot of things right.

Rating: A+

Post-match bonus: Led the team in points and over/under.

Klay Thompson

29 minutes, 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 3 for 13 shots, 2 for 7 3, 1 for 2 free throws, 32.4% TS, +3

Klay continues to struggle against his offense and still looks a long way from regaining his All-Star form.

At the same time, the team continues to play better when he is on the pitch. His defense was pretty poor at the start of this one, but he really backed it up with a solid D against Mitchell late in the game.

Rating: C

Jonathan Kuminga

4 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers, shooting 0 for 3, 0.0% TS, -1

Kuminga came into the game in the first quarter and struggled quickly. His offense was very stagnant and he once again forced shots when he should have been playing hot potato. Three missed shots and two turnovers in four minutes is certainly not what the Warriors hope he will do, and after his brief stint in the first quarter he hasn’t played again.

On the one hand, I feel like the Warriors aren’t giving him enough time to sort out some of these things. On the other hand, it was very difficult for him there.

Rating: D-

Antoine Lamb

24 mins, 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 fouls, 4-for-7 shooting, 2-for-5 threes, 71.4% TS, +6

I was pretty critical of Lamb, but there’s no way to criticize his acting in this one. It was exactly what the doctor ordered. He got a lot away from the ball and kept the ball airborne when he caught it. He brought a lot of energy, which played out well on the defensive side of things.

I certainly haven’t seen him supplant Kuminga, Moses Moody and JaMychal Green in the rotation, and that probably won’t last forever, but it’s certainly remarkable right now.

Rating: A

Donte Di Vincenzo

16 mins, 0 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 0 for 1 shot, 0 for 1 3, 0.0% TS, +3

DiVincenzo had some rust after not playing for almost three weeks. It was especially apparent on the defensive end, where he made a few bad fouls.

But I thought he showed why the Warriors invested in him this offseason. Even without the stats, DiVincenzo just helped the bench unit — so bad all year — play functional basketball. He said on Wednesday that his goal was to help Jordan Poole get started, and it was pretty clear in that game that he was a big part of why Poole actually got started.

That, in itself, is worth the money.

Category B-

Jordan Poole

34 mins, 18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 6 for 13 shots, 4 for 8 threes, 2 for 2 free throws, 64.9% TS, +2

Ahh, here we go, JP. Amazing how capable defense and a Poole Party instantly make the Warriors look like contenders again.

Poole ended up with strong numbers, but his biggest impact was keeping the offense afloat in the second quarter when Curry ran into foul trouble. That’s exactly what the Warriors need him to be, and in the fourth quarter they couldn’t get him off the field.

Rating: A

Friday DNPs: JaMychal Green, Ty Jerome, Moses Moody, James Wiseman

Friday inactives: Andre Iguodala