Andrew Wiggins was the biggest standout last night despite the Golden State Warriors’ upsetting loss. The franchise has unfortunately entered a terrible losing streak that might not play in their favor, in the long run, this season. And their veterans hold accountability for a large part of their shortcomings lately. It is going to be a tough battle for the Warriors to regain momentum this season as well.
Right now, GSW seems like a first-ballot play-in tournament team. But their pace at the moment will not help them achieve their championship dreams this season. The Warriors are currently on a six-game losing streak, which could’ve been broken had they played much harder.
There were a few reasons why the Warriors struggled against their latest opponents and one of them was Draymond Green’s absence. Green was suspended for a brawl that broke out against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Andrew Wiggins compliments Chet Holmgren’s height following an insane game-tying shot
The Warriors brought out their inner fighter’s spirit and tried their best to knock out the Thunder. Before the end of regulation, the Warriors and OKC were tied at 114-114. Wiggins was given the ball with under 10 seconds left on the shot clock. He drained a crucial three-pointer which gave the Warriors the lead. However, OKC’s Chet Holmgren drained a contested three-pointer to send the game into overtime.
Wiggins highlighted defending Holmgren during the play and said, “We could’ve fouled but I felt like he was going to turn and shoot. Either he was going to shoot it or three free throws.” He felt that allowing Chet to take the shot was a sensible decision rather than letting him shoot foul shots.
“I tried to put a hand up. I tried, but he’s tall.”
Andrew Wiggins on guarding Chet Holmgren while he hit a game-tying three to send it to overtime 🤝
(via @NBCSWarriors)pic.twitter.com/KLzGtlky5y
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 19, 2023
“Do you feel like it was a decent contest?” asked the reporter. He said, “I tried. But he’s tall.” Wiggins also mentioned that Holmgren was having a great game and there wouldn’t have been any other better way to stop that shot.
Andrew Wiggins recorded his first 30-point game of the season
Ever since the start of the season, Stephen Curry was the only Warriors player to record over 20 points per game. But their offensive lacking ended up getting the best of them over the last six games. While Curry currently averages 30.2 points per game. But the other veterans on the roster put up less than 14 points per game. Andrew Wiggins made a serious push against OKC and scored 31 points. This was his first 20+ point game since the beginning of the 2023-24 season.
If Wiggins manages to maintain his hot streak and render himself a backup for Curry, the Warriors will have a good chance of making a deep run in the postseason. Last year, he averaged 17.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game as their starting forward. Wiggins is on quite the beat down this year averaging 10.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1 assist. Wiggins will also have to assume his position as their defensive leader in Green’s absence.