Player grades: Warriors vs. Thunder

Assessing every Golden State player’s performance in the team’s 116-109 win over Oklahoma City.

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Has everyone’s heart rate settled down yet? The Golden State Warriors pulled off one of their best wins of the season on Wednesday night, overcoming a 14-point deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder — owners of the best record in the NBA — on the back end of a back-to-back, 116-109. And it wasn’t just an important win, but a thrilling one, too.

So let’s grade the players who pulled off the improbable, and reminded us of how good the Dubs are capable of being when things click. 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 Wednesday’s games, league-average TS was 57.4%.

Andrew Wiggins

38 minutes, 27 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 10-for-17 shooting, 5-for-8 threes, 2-for-3 free throws, 73.7% TS, +14

Where to focus with Wiggins?

On the fact that he played 38 minutes and 21 seconds in a highly-intense game, just 24 hours after playing 33 minutes and 14 seconds?

On the fact that he led the team in scoring, with elite efficiency?

On the fact that his shots were outrageously timely, such as a buzzer-beating three to gain some momentum going into halftime, or a shot-clock beating three to push the lead to seven with a minute-and-a-half remaining?

On the tenacious defense and excellent effort?

Take your pick. The grade’s the same, regardless.

Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points, tied for the best plus/minus on the team.

Gary Payton II

25 minutes, 15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4 turnovers, 4 fouls, 5-for-7 shooting, 5-for-5 free throws, 81.5% TS, +12

The turnovers are the only stain on GPII’s game and I’ll have to rewatch the tape because honestly, I don’t remember any of them, other than a rebound where he got pushed out of bounds and no foul was called. So I’m going to give him a pass and assume the others were similar, because it sure didn’t feel like his sloppiness was a factor in this game.

His endless energy and athleticism rebounding the ball was, though. His fantastic defense — the only Warrior who was able to slow down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, at all — was. His cutting to the rim was.

And the cherry on the cake? A poster of seven-foot Isaiah Hartenstein to seal the deal and send everyone home happy.

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

Quinten Post

8 minutes, 0 points, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, -11

Post got his first career start and, ironically enough, played his worst career game. His early struggles mixed with Kevon Looney’s excellence meant that he didn’t really get a second chance in this game. That’ll come Friday, when he’ll likely be back in the lineup … perhaps not the starting lineup, though.

Grade: C-

Buddy Hield

15 minutes, 5 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2-for-6 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 41.7% TS, +7

Hield once again struggled shooting. He’s just 3-for-21 from distance over the last four games. Dating back to the Christmas game, Hield has made just 33 of his last 124 triples. It’s ugly!

But on the bright side, this was another game where he found ways to help the team even when he wasn’t scoring. He’s had at least as many assists as made shots in six of his last nine games, and played pretty good defense in this one. And props to Steve Kerr, who appears more comfortable cutting Hield’s minutes when the shot isn’t falling.

Grade: C

Steph Curry

33 minutes, 21 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 fouls, 6-for-15 shooting, 5-for-10 threes, 4-for-4 free throws, 62.6%, -2

Curry got dominated by Gilgeous-Alexander in the first half, getting outscored 31-4. It was a much more even second half, with SGA mildly outscoring Curry 21-17.

But Curry’s team got the W, and that’s all that matters. Steph emerged from his slump in the second half with some true offensive wizardry that was timely as all get out. He had some of the biggest shots and some of the most important passes of the game.

It’s pretty clear that teams are directing all their defensive energy at stopping Curry, and it’s working more often than the chef would wish. But he still reminds us regularly that he’s a superstar, and give him space at your own peril.

Grade: B+

Moses Moody

17 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover, 2-for-8 shooting, 0-for-6 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, 28.2% TS, +5

Moody had a poor shooting game, but his aggression on offense still created a lot of opportunities for the Warriors. I’m really enjoying seeing how much his intensity and aggression are getting dialed up a notch, even if his streak of seven consecutive games with double figures came to an end.

Grade: C

Kevon Looney

25 minutes, 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 blocks, 3 fouls, 5-for-7 shooting, 0-for-1 threes, 8-for-9 free throws, 82.1% TS, +14

I’m sorry, what world are we living in? I would have guessed three points and 18 rebounds a million times before guessing 18 points and three rebounds for Looney.

But the rebound numbers don’t tell the story. Looney patrolled the glass, he just did so in a manner that allowed his teammates to grab the boards. He was a force in the paint, as evidenced by the four blocks, which were so impressive. And he was spectacular on offense (more spectacular than the numbers suggest, as one of his two misses was a desperation three-point heave to beat the first-quarter buzzer). And for one night at least, Looney put his season-long free throw woes behind him.

The Warriors don’t win this game without Looney. Feels like I’ve said that an awful lot of times this year for a backup center on a mediocre team.

Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Tied for the best plus/minus on the team.

Gui Santos

19 minutes, 3 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, 1-for-3 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, 43.6% TS, -12

Santos’ offense has cooled down over the last few games, but it hasn’t impacted his defense, rebounding, or energy. And, impressively for a young player, he hasn’t been forcing on offense. When he’s not open, he’s simply keeping the ball moving.

He reminds me of Moody in that regard: even when the shots aren’t falling, you know the energy and intelligence are going to play. He still has to learn how to defend without fouling a little bit, though.

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

Dennis Schröder

26 minutes, 9 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 4-for-8, 1-for-4 threes, 0-for-2 free throws, 50.7% TS, +3

Schröder is starting to look a lot more comfortable with the Warriors. It still wasn’t a great scoring game for him, but not in a worrisome way. He led the second unit well, worked with Curry well, and got the team set in their offensive system. And yet again, his intensity, competitive spirit, and attitude played a huge role for a Warriors team that has been in dire need of swagger.

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

Brandin Podziemski

18 minutes, 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 foul, 4-for-6 shooting, 1-for-3 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 79.9% TS, +1

It really shouldn’t be surprising that Podziemski is such a good clutch player, since he’s so fearless and cocky. But it still impresses me how much he shows up in the moments that wilt so many players. He seems to thrive on having the ball in his hands when a lead is shrinking, or there’s a chance to shut the door on another team. Also, since returning from injury, he’s had just four turnovers in about 95 minutes of action. The Warriors sure seem like a different team when he’s healthy.

Grade: A

Kyle Anderson

15 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 1-for-4 shooting, 25.0% TS, +4

The stats don’t show it, but this was a really good game from Slo Mo, who put in some huge second-half minutes. He steadied the ship, played excellent defense, and had one of the biggest shots of the game.

Grade: B+

Wednesday’s DNPs: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Lindy Waters III

Wednesady’s inactives: Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Jackson Rowe, Pat Spencer