Player grades: Warriors vs. Nuggets

Assessing every Golden State player from the team’s 119-115 loss to Denver.

Well, there’s no sugar-coating this one. The Golden State Warriors lost to the Denver Nuggets 119-115 on Tuesday night, and it was probably the most painful loss of the season. Expectations may have been low given that the Dubs were on the road, against a star-studded lineup, and missing Draymond Green, but the Warriors played their butts off for most of the night, and even built of a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. But with a win there for the taking, Golden State fell apart down the stretch. Over the final two-and-a-half minutes, the Nuggets outscored the Warriors 11-0 to steal the game, and send Golden State’s losing streak to five games.

Now let’s grade the players involved in the action. 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 Tuesday’s games, league-average TS was 57.3%.

Jonathan Kuminga

29 minutes, 19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 4 fouls, 9-for-18 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, 0-for-2 free throws, 50.3% TS, -7

I’m not entirely sure what to make of Kuminga’s game. He got the start in Green’s absence, and opened up guarding Aaron Gordon. He was aggressive from the jump, scoring seven of the team’s first 14 points, while making plays on defense.

As the game went on, the impact waned. It didn’t end up being an efficient scoring night, and there were a few bad fouls. But at the same time, he consistently made plays all over the court.

I feel like I’ve had this conundrum with Kuminga a bit this year. He’s often looked the part of a player blossoming into the star-adjacent role that the Warriors envision, but then the game ends and I find myself questioning how much he actually helped them win.

And in this game, I’m just not sure what the answer was, but I do feel strongly that he played better than the stats suggest.

Grade: B+

Kevon Looney

25 minutes, 5 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 6 fouls, 2-for-3 shooting, 1-for-4 free throws, 52.5% TS, -3

With the best basketball player in the world lined up at the opposing center position, Looney got his first start of the year, and his most minutes of the season. He as absolutely brilliant in the first quarter against Nikola Jokić, holding the three-time MVP to two points and two turnovers in their first stint on the court together.

He definitely faded as the game went on, though. He played really good defense on Jokić all night, but certainly wasn’t able to shut him down, as Jokić finished with an efficient 38 points, while Looney fouled out late in the game. Still and all, I don’t really want to think about what the Dubs would have looked like in this game without Looney.

Grade: B+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.

Andrew Wiggins

31 minutes, 13 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 3-for-7 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, 5-for-5 free throws, 70.7% TS, -20

Kind of an odd game for Wiggins. He had a highly-efficient scoring game, while also producing some big plays on defense and passing the ball.

He also had some odd lapses, with some uncharacteristic fouls, a number of plays where he lost the action and got beat on a cut, and, on the Warriors final possession, he slipped, fell, and lost the ball.

I caution people against putting too much stock into single-game plus/minus, which is doubly true in this game since Wiggins’ minutes largely lined up with Jokić’s. Yet it did feel like the number represented the fact that the Warriors seemed to play better when he wasn’t on the court.

So far I’m 0-for-3. I don’t know how to grade anyone tonight!

Grade: B
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.

Steph Curry

34 minutes, 24 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 turnovers, 8-for-23 shooting, 4-for-15 threes, 4-for-4 free throws, 48.5% TS, +5

An uncharacteristically poor shooting night from Curry, who certainly found other ways to make up for it. He came out of the gates acting as the quarterback, and it was well into the game before he actually took a shot. He had some brilliant passes all night long, though the five turnovers are hard to stomach. He played pretty well on defense, I thought. And he was the biggest reason behind the team nearly pulling away in the fourth quarter.

But ... there’s no hiding the fact that right now he just doesn’t seem to be at 100%. I’m not sure if physical discomfort, rust, or something else.

Grade: C+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points and assists.

Brandin Podziemski

25 minutes, 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 5 fouls, 6-for-11 shooting, 0-for-3 threes, 0-for-1 free throws, 56.8% TS, -13

Podziemski got a chance to start, and it sure seems like his early-season scoring woes are in the rearview mirror. He scored five of the team’s first seven points, and got some very good looks by being aggressive going to the rim. He also had a very challenging opening assignment against Michael Porter Jr., which he handled well.

He definitely had some young player mistakes in the second half though. He struggled to defend without fouling, and some of his fouls were quite bad. He had a few rough turnovers, and ultimately wasn’t in the closing lineup despite how well he played in the first half.

The Dubs are starting to see the All-Rookie selection that Podz was last year, but it’s coming with a few lumps, too.

Grade: B

Trayce Jackson-Davis

22 minutes, 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 3-for-5 shooting, 1-for-2 free throws, 59.5% TS, +5

I didn’t expect TJD to play 22 minutes off the bench, but playing a team with a great center (who played 40 minutes), while not having Green available meant a steady role for Jackson-Davis, and he played really well.

There are certainly still holes, but he’s really been improving his defense lately (look, Jokić is gonna get his, no matter who is defending him), and also finding more ways to get to his spots on offense, while also contributing when he’s not scoring.

Grade: A-

Kyle Anderson

19 minutes, 4 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 foul, 2-for-4 shooting, 50.0% TS, 0 +/-

One of Anderson’s best games in a Warriors jersey. He was a true difference-maker on defense, and put on a clinic running the offense and setting up his teammates, while showing that he can still mix it up in the paint. Fantastic performance.

Grade: A

Buddy Hield

21 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 2-for-8 shooting, 2-for-6 threes, 37.5% TS, -6

Certainly not Hield’s best night, though he did find himself in the closing lineup as Steve Kerr desperately searched for a bucket (which Hield, as well as the four Warriors he shared the court with, could not provide).

His spacing and instant offense make him a valuable player, but Hield just doesn’t do too much outside of shoot. And when those shots aren’t going in, well...

Grade: C-

Gary Payton II

14 minutes, 11 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 foul, 5-for-6 shooting, 1-for-2 threes, 91.7% TS, +18

Wow. What a fantastic performance from Payton, who had offensive energy galore, which he used to repeatedly beat defensive players to spots for clean buckets. He was as disruptive as we’ve come to expect from him on defense, too. Kerr is clearly trying to find ways to shorten the rotation a little, and it might be a good thing if that means more minutes for GPII.

Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.

Moses Moody

21 minutes, 13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 4-for-10 shooting, 2-for-6 threes, 3-for-3 free throws, 57.4% TS, +1

Moody has been struggling a bit lately, but this felt like a really nice game for him. He got a more stable role than he’s had in past nights, and seemed to be able to find a good rhythm on both ends of the court. I really liked what I saw from him.

Grade: B+

Tuesday’s DNPs: Gui Santos, Pat Spencer, Lindy Waters III
Tuesday’s inactives: Reece Beekman, Draymond Green, De’Anthony Melton, Quinten Post