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Brandin Podziemski, often a popular target for Dub Nation’s displeased keyboard gangsters, replied Sunday with the kind of game he’ll need to bottle for the Warriors to make a deep run in the NBA playoffs.
The second-year guard took the right shots, at the right time, and finished with a game-high 27 points. When passing was the obvious option, he chose it rather than holding or pounding his dribble. He did his usual GI Joe stuff, drawing charges from bigger players and grabbing more rebounds than befits his physique.
Moreover, Podziemski played determined defense.
Golden State becomes a real threat if those habits continue in the coming weeks, with the stakes getting considerably higher and the competition getting appreciably tougher than the deficient Spurs, unwitting victims of a 148-106 Golden State runaway in San Antonio.
“You get a night when nobody plays more than 25 or 26 minutes, that’s very helpful,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters at Frost Bank Center. “Big game coming against Memphis [Tuesday night], so we’ll be well rested and in rhythm for that.
“Big stretch coming.”
The Warriors (43-31) go into Memphis in sixth place in the Western Conference, one-half game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, one game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers – and one game behind the Grizzlies. A win at Memphis would give the Warriors the head-to-head tiebreaker, effectively moving them into fifth place.
Sunday was, then, a TCB (Take Care of Business) game for the Warriors. They beat a team they were projected to beat and did it convincingly. Stephen Curry played 26 minutes, Jimmy Butler III 24 and Draymond Green 21. None of the accomplished veterans played in the fourth quarter because, for the first time since Feb. 25 against the Charlott Hornets, there was no need.
The Warriors know what those three can do, but there remains uncertainty about how the rest of the roster, with the lone exception being Kevon Looney, will respond to the rugged obstacles ahead.
Perhaps none of the complementary players is more pivotal that Podziemski, who starts alongside Moses Moody,…
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Publish date : 2025-03-30 20:49:00
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