Warriors triumph over Poole’s team in NBA thriller on December 22.

On Friday, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Washington Wizards 129-118 at San Francisco’s Chase Center, stretching their winning run to four consecutive matches.

Jordan Poole, a former Warrior, returned to the Chase Center for the first time since his July trade to the Wizards. Despite past tensions, including an incident with Draymond Green in October 2022, Poole received a warm reception from players like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who hugged him before the game. Additionally, some home fans cheered for him, showing there were no hard feelings.

Jordan was previously regarded as a rising star during his time with the Golden State Warriors, alongside talents like Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. However, his trade to the Washington Wizards resulted from disagreements regarding his position in the team’s rotation and expectations. On Friday night, Poole’s lackluster performance seemed to justify the Warriors’ decision to part ways with him.

Jordan shot 7-for-21 from the field and scored a team-high 25 points, attempting 12 three-pointers and missing eight. Despite his high number of field goal attempts, it wasn’t an issue considering he and Kyle Kuzma are the top players on the Wizards, and Kuzma was having an off night.

Jordan’s shooting decisions caused significant frustration for his teammates. He repeatedly missed difficult and rushed three-point attempts, neglecting to involve his teammates in the offense, leading to wasted possessions and facilitating Golden State’s fast break opportunities. These wayward shots resulted in numerous bricks and easy buckets for the opposing team, further compounding the Wizards’ offensive struggles. Poole’s impatience and tendency to shoot solo 3-pointers without involving his teammates proved costly and inefficient, hindering the Wizards’ chances of success.

Poole’s performance paled compared to Curry and young Warriors like Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis (TJD). While Curry also struggled with shooting in the first quarter, he compensated with five assists, exceeding Poole’s total assists (three) for the entire game. Curry then sank seven 3-pointers in the second and third quarters, scoring 27 points. With the game decided, Curry didn’t even play in the final period. Poole’s lackluster display stood out even more, as he failed to match the impressive showings of his fellow court members.

The Wizards’ struggles in protecting the rim and rebounds this season played into the strengths of Kuminga and TJD. Kuminga leveraged his size, strength, and athleticism to attack the rim and score efficiently, making 9 out of 11 attempts for 22 points.

TJD contributed a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, including 5 offensive boards, which set a game high. These performances helped the Warriors improve their winning percentage to .500 (14-14) and move closer to reaching the play-in tournament zone (No. 7 to No. 10) in the Western Conference.