The shorthanded Golden State Warriors pulled off quite a win on Thursday night. Despite playing without Steph Curry, they ended the game on a 22-5 run to steal a 101-97 victory from the Phoenix Suns. It was satisfying and emotional, to say the least, given that the trade deadline had just passed. The beat reporters could hear the celebration from outside the locker room, with Steve Kerr saying it “felt like we won a championship.”
So let’s grade the players who pulled off the feel-good win. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for that player.
Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Thursday’s games, league-average TS was 57.9%.
Moses Moody
31 minutes, 6 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 2-for-7 shooting, 2-for-7 threes, 42.9% TS, +4
Moody had a slightly easier task than he usually has when facing the Suns, as Devin Booker was out with an injury. But even though he wasn’t having to guard an All-Star, Moody still found a way to strongly influence the game with his defense. It wasn’t a good offensive game, but the defense and rebounding were special … and his amazing hustle play in the final seconds just might have clinched the game. That play bumps him up a half-grade.
Grade: A-
Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds.
Gui Santos
36 minutes, 18 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 6-for-9 shooting, 3-for-6 threes, 3-for-5 free throws, 80.4% TS, +2
Jimmy Butler III is out for the year with an injury and Jonathan Kuminga has been traded. As a result, we’re going to see a lot of Santos. And if this game is any indication, that’s a pretty exciting thing. He was everywhere on the court. Absolutely everywhere.
Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in assists.
Draymond Green
24 minutes, 5 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1-for-3 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 64.4% TS, -1
This wasn’t Dray’s best game, but you could see in his energy and on his face that he was deeply relieved to still be on the team. It’s been a long career for Green, and this was his first time being on the block at the trade deadline … something he said he hopes to never experience again. He was pretty happy to defer to teammates in this game, and it worked out well. Awesome defense.
Grade: B
Pat Spencer
32 minutes, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers, 2 fouls, 6-for-11 shooting, 6-for-10 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 84.2% TS, -3
Spencer played his final game on a two-way contract, and will certainly be rewarded with a guaranteed deal now that the Warriors have cleared both cap and roster space. He celebrated by scoring a career-high, while running the offense well and making huge plays.
Under normal circumstances, he would get a good grade, brought down a little by the turnovers. But because of the situation, he gets a perfect one.
Grade: A+ for performance and feels
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points.
De’Anthony Melton
25 minutes, 17 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 6-for-14 shooting, 2-for-9 threes, 3-for-4 free throws, 53.9% TS, +21
Melton is playing out of his mind at the moment, and I’m so glad he stayed on the team through the deadline. That not only means that we get to watch him play this year, but that the Warriors likely think they can retain him next season, too.
The Warriors ended the game on the run of all runs, and I’d argue that Melton was the biggest reason for it. The stats may not be great (other than the plus/minus), but trust your eyes here: Melton was quite arguably the biggest reason they won.
Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.
Gary Payton II
19 minutes, 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 foul, 6-for-11 shooting, 3-for-6 threes, 68.2% TS, +4
Just a sensational game from GPII in every area of the game. Despite usually being the smallest player on the court, he was second in the entire game in rebounds, behind only Phoenix center Mark Williams … and in less than 20 minutes of action! That included the biggest rebound of the game, on Dillon Brooks’ go-ahead three attempt in the waning seconds. His defense was as good as we’ve come to expect, and he had one of the best offensive games of his career. Safe to say, they don’t win that game without Payton.
Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Tied for the team lead in rebounds.
Brandin Podziemski
12 minutes, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 foul, 0-for-3 shooting, 0-for-3 threes, 0.0% TS, -21
Podz was awful in this game, but you can’t really blame him. He was so ill that he took himself out of the contest, which is saying something for someone who is such a gamer. He was sick enough that Kerr said his status is in doubt for Saturday.
Grade: Feel better!
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.
Al Horford
28 minutes, 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 1 foul, 4-for-10 shooting, 2-for-5 threes, 3-for-5 free throws, 53.3% TS, 0 plus/minus
It has been abundantly clear lately why the Warriors were so excited to bring in Horford this offseason. And I’m guessing they’re hoping like heck that he picks up his player option for next year.
Grade: B
Will Richard
27 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 2-for-6 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 50.9% TS, +16
I’m guessing we see Richard get a bigger role as the season goes on, and I’m excited to watch that. His defense in this game was just … stunning, really. To quote Bob Fitzgerald, how did this guy fall to the second round? An absolute baller.
Grade: A-
Quinten Post
6 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 foul, 0-for-2 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 0.0% TS, -2
I’m excited for Post to get to learn from Kristaps Porziņģis. Should be a great opportunity for him.
Grade: B-
Thursday’s DNP-CDs: Malevy Leons
Thursday’s inactives: Jimmy Butler III, LJ Cryer, Seth Curry, Steph Curry, Kristaps Porziņģis
Read the full article here