Dub Hub: Former Warrior Donte DiVincenzo credits Steph Curry for recent shooting success

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Thursday, February 29th.

Warriors News:

Meet the mastermind behind Donte DiVincenzo’s shooting success: Stephen Curry | The Athletic

Still, he took a little part of his Warriors’ experience with him — even if he understands the obvious: That there is only one Steph Curry.

“You wanna emulate it. You wanna be like that. All the kids wanna be like that,” DiVincenzo said. “But there is a real piece where you look in the mirror. I’m not him. No one is him. Steph is Steph. He’s proving that year after year. …

“Now, you can strive to be on that path. I think guys that succeed and that look up to Steph have an understanding of, OK, he’s in a different stratosphere, but how do I get on that path?”

Steph Curry is a heavy favorite to win Clutch Player of the Year

Report: Klay, Lacob’s relationship ‘suffered some strain’ over contract | NBC Sports Bay Area

Thompson’s relationship with Lacob has “suffered some strain,” The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported in his latest feature.

“Thompson always knew he would likely have to wait until his free agency arrived this summer, what with Lacob’s well-chronicled hopes of ducking under the second (and possibly first) luxury tax apron compelling them to let the roster landscape fully unfold before adding salary,” Amick wrote.

“But it’s clear their relationship has suffered some strain along the way, with league sources indicating that Thompson has received no assurances from on high that his hopes of retiring happily in a Warriors jersey someday will be a shared priority this summer. Both sides, it seems clear, have no clarity about what might happen when that time rolls around.”

Kia Rookie Ladder: Key storylines await as Kia ROY chase resumes | NBA

4. Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors

Season stats: 9.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.9 apg

Last Ladder: No. 4

Draft pick: No. 19

He finished in single-digit scoring the past two games, but that hardly captures his across-the-board value. Consider Podziemski has 30 games of 10-plus points, 21 of five-plus rebounds and 19 of five-plus assists while leading the league with 32 charges drawn. The Warriors are 12-6 when he starts.

Steve Kerr discusses Andrew Wiggins’ absence from the team

NBA News:

LeBron James powers biggest 4th-quarter comeback of career | ESPN

James singlehandedly outscored the Clippers 19-16 in the final frame, including hitting 5-for-8 from 3 with four assists, to close out the franchises’ “hallway series” in dramatic fashion. Wednesday marked the final regular-season matchup for the two teams while sharing the same arena, with the Clippers opening the new Intuit Dome at the start of next season.

James hit three 3s in the first 3:13 of the fourth quarter, quickly cutting the Clippers’ cushion to nine and prompting coach Tyronn Lue to call timeout.

“It’s just a zone, and you can’t really describe it,” James said after finishing with 34 points and eight assists. “You wish you could stay in it forever, but obviously it checks out once the game ends. But during it, you don’t feel anything. It’s just like a superpower feel.”

Damian Lillard on His Partnership With Giannis Antetokounmpo and Whether the Bucks Are a True Title Contender | Sports Illustrated

DL: It’s definitely lonely because I’m such a family guy. My life is my family. After games, I would come out and my whole family would be back there. My kids coming out of the playroom. My mom, my brother, my cousins lived there, you know what I mean? My best friends live in Portland. So I would come out, we would go to dinner. They might come to my house. After practice, I might go to my mom’s house and just chill. That’s how my life was. So, I mean, I’m fine because I’m grown. But it’s definitely lonely. I’m filled up by those people.

SI: So what’s your life like in Milwaukee?

DL: Bro, go to practice, go home, watch boxing, play video games. Man, I type in [boxing website] FightHype on YouTube 100 times and be praying for something new to be on there. Seriously, I don’t have much of a life. But that’s what comes with making a big boy decision. You got to be down for that and figure it out.

Steph Curry, LeBron James among locks to make Team USA for the 2024 Olympics

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Andrew Wiggins out indefinitely with personal matter

Andrew Wiggins missed Tuesday night’s win over the Washington Wizards with a “personal matter.” The timing is eerily similar to what happened with Wiggins last year, when he missed the last 25 games of the season with a “family matter.” Neither Wiggins nor the team ever confirmed the reason for his extended absence, but Shams Charania reported that his father, former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins, had a “serious medical situation.”

Warriors defeat Poole’s Wizards, but he sure was fun to watch

At one point he was presumed to be the heir apparent to the Splash Bros, so it was quite entertaining/bittersweet when he gave Steph Curry a variation of the step-back bomb that Curry perfected.

But ultimately, he couldn’t find a way to overcome those Dubs. Poole sputtered to a 5-of-17 shooting night (2-of-8 from beyond the arc), scoring 12 points. He did dish out 5 assists and grab 2 steals but he also had 6 turnovers. More turnovers than field goals is not a great look for the young hooper, and ominously he didn’t get to the free throw line once.

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