What woke Wiggins up after Kuminga’s injury in the Warriors’ victory originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – With 2:27 left in the first half on Saturday night, as Jonathan Kuminga lay face down under the basket After an awkward fall after trying to block a shot, Chase Center fell silent in worry and Andrew Wiggins stood nearby watching helplessly.
An alarm began to ring in Wiggins’ ears.
With 1:02 left in the break, the alarm blared. Deafening.
What began with the sight of Kuminga supine on the ground escalated greatly 85 seconds later, when Memphis guard Desmond Bane collided with Wiggins, sending him to the ground and being called for a blocking foul when Bane’s shot went through the net with 1:02 left. half.
Wiggins heard the alarm. The Warriors and Grizzlies spent the first half matching each other’s mediocrity, but no one on Golden State’s roster needed the wake-up call more.
Wiggins’ response was evident once he came out for the second half, and was emphatic enough to send the Warriors on their way to a 121-113 victory and their first consecutive victories in six weeks.
After snoozing through the first half with a field goal and no rebound or assist, Wiggins went after the Grizzlies like they had offended his family, sinking a floater 12 seconds into the third quarter. He followed with a 3-pointer 64 seconds later, and another jumper two possessions later.
“That punch,” Wiggins said of Bane’s work. “It woke me up.”
Up to eight points in the first two and a half minutes of the second half, 10 more in the next seven-odd minutes, a total of 18 during his 10 minutes in the quarter.
“Wiggs, in that third quarter, when JK was out (he was 1 for 6 at halftime) just took over that third when we really needed him the most,” coach Steve Kerr said.
Wiggins, who finished with a game-high 24 points, gave life to a Golden State offense that was desperate for it, particularly without Kuminga, who limped into the locker room immediately after getting up and was diagnosed with a sprained right ankle. . There was no immediate forecast, but Kerr indicated he will miss some time.
“It’s not going to be a day-to-day thing,” Kerr said. “It was a major sprain.”
Kuminga’s absence, whether for half tonight or for many upcoming games, is first and foremost a sign for Wiggins. Kuminga is the team’s second leading scorer, behind Stephen Curry. Wiggins is third, half a point per game behind Kuminga.
For the Warriors to mount enough offense to win games, particularly with Curry battling lingering pain in both knees and the possibility of Kuminga being sidelined, Wiggins must increase his aggression.
He can’t be the guy who had lost offensive relevance in recent games, averaging 9.5 points on 16-of-43 shooting (37.2 percent) from the field, including 4-of-18 (22.2 percent) from long range.
As for the play involving Bane, Kerr also noted that it is the root of Wiggins’ resurgence.
“Desmond Bane’s play, when he went through him at the end of the half,” Kerr said. “That infuriated Wiggs. So he came out ready to play in the third.”
With his dunk with 1:07 left giving the Warriors a 119-109 lead, Wiggins was responsible for propelling the Warriors to a level that was enough to put the Grizzlies to sleep for the night.
It was like watching Kuminga limp away woke up the guy who needed an awakening, in this game and beyond.
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