Wiggins stepped up to help Steph as one-two Warriors punch originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Stephen Curry lost his coveted and beloved Splash Brother when Klay Thompson jumped ship and joined the Dallas Mavericks, robbing the Warriors of one of their top scorers and best defensemen.
Andrew Wiggins is doing his best to fill that void.
Playing at a level reminiscent of his NBA All-Star season three years ago, when the Warriors won their fourth NBA championship in eight years, Wiggins has played a key role in Golden State’s impressive start – the Warriors improved to 12-3 after their 112-108 win over the Pelicans in New Orleans on Friday.
The former No. 1 overall draft pick was in top form against the Pelicans. He scored a season-high 30 points to go with three rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal. Part of that included Wiggins going 9-of-9 from the free-throw line, an area where the Warriors have had serious issues this season.
It was the eighth 30-point game of Wiggins’ tenure with Golden State and the 48e of his NBA career.
“Andrew is feeling great,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “You saw him knock down all the threes early, his free throws. He looked fantastic there with his defense on [Brandon] Ingram. Lots of good things.”
Wiggins’ performance in New Orleans may have raised some eyebrows around the NBA, but Warriors fans have seen a lot of this from the 29-year-old as the season has progressed.
Wiggins has scored 20 points or more in each of his last three games, something he hasn’t done since November 2022, when he did that in four consecutive games.
In his most recent stretch, Wiggins is shooting at a 65.1 percent clip (28 of 43) and nearly as well (8 of 15, 53.3 percent) from three-point range.
The Warriors needed it all, too.
Curry got off to a somewhat slow start against the Pelicans, but Wiggins came out firing and helped the Warriors take early control of a game that was back and forth all night.
Wiggins made all five shots he made in the first quarter, including a trio of threes, and scored 13 of his 30 points in the first 12 minutes. It was the 11e The time in Wiggins’ NBA career that he has taken five or more shots or more in one quarter without missing.
Curry eventually went to work and scored 19 points, an average night for a scorer like him.
It may not be the Splash Brothers 2.0, but the combination of Curry and Wiggins is proving to be a crucial and important part of this season’s version of the Warriors.
The duo has scored 43 points or more in eight of Golden State’s 15 games so far, forming a very solid and productive one-two punch.
Much of Wiggins’ night was spent defending Ingram. Ingram had 18 points, but needed 16 shots to get there.
Wiggins also made a big step in clutch time, making four free throws in the final two minutes to secure the victory.
The Warriors are now 10-3 this season in games Wiggins starts.
“I feel like I’m in a pretty good rhythm right now,” Wiggins said. “I just try to keep myself involved, stay assertive, stay aggressive and just attack the rim.”
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