Without Stephen Curry and Draymond Green available for the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night, head coach Steve Kerr wanted to see how a more youthful unit would play in the preseason.
He saw and coached a 111-93 victory over the Detroit Pistons. The Warriors are 4-0 in preseason with a pair of exhibitions still to play.
With guard De’Anthony Melton completing the lineup of guard Brandin Podziemski, wing Moses Moody, forward Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis — all of whom are 24 or younger — the Warriors preserved their unbeaten preseason record by rolling roughshod over the Pistons at Chase Center. Moody scored a team-high 14 points and wing Lindy Waters III added 13 points Kuminga, Jackson-Davis, Podziemski and Buddy Hield provided 12 points apiece for Golden State.
“(The offensive rhythm was) better tonight than it was (Friday)” Kerr said, referencing Golden State’s victory over the Sacramento Kings — during which the Warriors committed 23 turnovers. They had 20 more Sunday, but those were mitigated by 18 3-pointers via 39 attempts. Hield made four, Waters and Kuminga made three and Podziemski and Moody made two 3-pointers each.
“The one thing we don’t want is guys to catch and hold,” Kerr said. “We’ve got a ton of guys on this team who can shoot threes. …If we execute our offense, we should have many nights like tonight where you get 18 threes and a bunch of guys all making two, three. It’s a fun way to play.”
Although Curry (right finger) and Green (rest) were unavailable, the Warriors didn’t deviate from the style of play they’ve implemented this fall: pace, passing and 3-point volume as they continue installing more structured halfcourt actions.
Advertisement Article continues below this ad Podziemski, Melton and combo forward Kyle Anderson share ball-handling responsibilities among the remaining rotational players like they will presumably in the regular season when Curry is inactive or on the bench. Podziemski added four rebounds and four assists before leaving in the third quarter with a nose contusion. Melton drove, slashed and kicked his way to a team-high seven assists.
Kuminga shot 3-for-5 on 3-point attempts, giving him 10 3-pointers in the last three games.
Jackson-Davis had 10 rebounds and three blocks while shooting 6-for-7 on his field-goal attempts, demonstrating his rim-protection and finishing capabilities. During one defensive possession in transition, he successively rejected forward Tobias Harris and center Jalen Duren at the basket.
“Just make a play on the ball, and then just try to be reactive,” Jackson-Davis said, explaining his approach.
A second grouping of Anderson, Waters, Hield, Gary Payton II and center Kevon Looney keyed with its ball movement, timely defensive rotations and shot-making during a 17-2 run with which the Warriors closed the first quarter.
Leaner and nimbler, Looney continued his resurgent preseason with eight points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals, two mid-range jumpers and a block, drawing praise from his head coach during his postgame news conference.
“It’s always fun to see (Looney) playing at this level where he’s healthy and impacting the game,” Kerr said. “When he’s open, we want him to shoot. … (Looney) knows exactly what the right shot is and what’s not.”
As conspicuous as their offensive approach was connecting their on defense against the Pistons, coaxing 15 giveaways and clogging their offense with active help and timely closeouts.
Detroit shot 44.4% from the field, including 24.1% from 3-point range against the Warriors, stocked this season with trusted and versatile perimeter defenders in front of Green, Jackson-Davis and Looney.
The Warriors’ six-game preseason continues Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena, concluding Friday against the Lakers at Chase Center.
“We’re getting a look at a lot of different combinations, and it’s all valuable information for us,” Kerr said.