How Warriors won the game vs. Wizards, but Poole won the night originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – There were under two seconds left on the shot clock when Jordan Poole released the last shot he’d make Saturday night in the Warriors’ 122-114 win against his Washington Wizards. Lindy Waters was sticking with Poole’s slick dribbling moves, sliding to stay in front of his escape plan.
Until he jumped.
Poole gathered his feet for what looked to be a last-second 3-point attempt, prompting Waters to get off the ground and contest the shot. And understandably so. Poole’s ability to free-wheel, to adapt in the moment, took over. He stepped through with his left foot and drained what looked like a one-footed floater from 28 feet.
Backpedaling to the other side of the court, Poole hushed the Chase Center crowd. The shot that gave Poole 36 points to bring the Wizards within one point with a little over five minutes remaining in the game was a clone of something maybe only LaMelo Ball would do. But this Warriors what-if isn’t a hypothetical.
The Warriors won the game. Poole won the night.
Saturday was his second game back as a Warriors opponent after being traded the morning of the 2023 NBA Draft, just days after new general manager Mike Dunleavy said he wasn’t going to deal him. Poole then became a Wizard three days after his 24th birthday, and nine months after signing a four-year, $123 million contract extension.
Lying on the ground from an Andrew Wiggins foul, Poole stuck his tongue out and celebrated a to-be four-point play. He later stuck his tongue out at the Warriors crowd after gliding through the paint for a layup, and got right in former teammate Gary Payton II face, who happens to be one of his best friends, after hitting a three on him.
The ball barely touched Poole’s fingertips behind the 3-point line in the right corner, right in front of the Warriors’ bench, when his three gave the Wizards a two-point lead in the third quarter. With the ball in flight, Poole walked backwards in slow motion. As it went through the net, he stared directly at his former teammates, new replacements and old coaches.
It felt like a Poole Party, only the Warriors were on the wrong end of it. Poole scored 38 points, three off tying his season high and four away from matching his career high. He did so efficiently, too.
Poole took 25 shots and made 12, a 48.0 field goal percentage. He launched 15 3-pointers and made eight, a 53.3 3-point percentage. All six of his free throws cashed in.
So, what was different for him in his second game back in San Francisco compared to his first return a little more than a year ago?
“I’m playing my true position,” Poole said. “Being able to be aggressive, I think you can see I get my teammates involved. Can score the ball, put pressure on the defense, and just being extremely competitive. Last year was a little bit different in terms of my role, and of course all the extra stuff leading up to it, tribute video and everything.
“But it just felt like a normal game today.”
The ever-reserved Andrew Wiggins laughed and couldn’t stop smiling while talking to Poole, his first time seeing him pregame. There were hugs from a long list of Warriors players and coaches once the final buzzer rang. Mid-game, Payton untied Poole’s shoe during free throws, something GP2 later called “mind games,” and the two turned the volume up on competitive entertainment only brothers know how to.
“Gary be hackin’. But I’ve been going up against Gary my whole career, so I know how he plays, I know his tendencies,” Poole said. “It’s always good to bump with him. Really dope.
“It’s not my first time frying him. I usually did it in practice pretty often.”
In response to Poole’s hacking allegations, Payton said, “Yeah, I’m sure that’s what the rest of the league says too. It’s OK. They can’t call every foul, so if you don’t like it, don’t go and get the ball.”
Still in his sweats and a Wizards hoodie, Poole pregame went to jog down the same tunnel he used to before every Warriors home game, sprinting back to the home locker room. Before he could get going, a group of Warriors security guards asked to pose with Poole. An in-arena cop taking the picture tied a bow on the type of love Poole received all night in a game the fans desperately wanted him to lose.
After the game, Poole came down to the Warriors’ locker room to chop it up with Steph Curry, and the energy felt exactly like Poole’s days wearing a Golden State jersey. He went back to the training room and was joking with people he used to share the court with, coaches and staff members who know the real him.
“I love those guys over there. I love most of those guys over there,” Poole said. “Really good group, really good staff. Shout out to the fans. I saw a lot of 3 jerseys out there, a lot of JP3 jerseys, which is always really cool. I always get a lot of love (here).
“I spent some good quality time here, and it’s dope to see it appreciated.”
Draymond Green, who was injured three minutes into the game Saturday night and wasn’t in the locker room when Poole visited, reacted on X to his “I love most of those guys” quip.
Every year, there’s a story about what the Warriors could have done with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Who else they could have added with two lottery picks in the 2021 draft. Before any of those hypotheticals, the Warriors hit on the 28th pick in 2019.
Not a what-if. A 22-year-old was integral to the Warriors winning their first championship since Kevin Durant left three years prior.
Now at 25, he’s averaging a career-high 21.9 points per game, which would be second on the Warriors to Curry by one point, and has a career-best 40.7 3-point percentage – over four percent better than he was in the Warriors’ 2022 championship season.
The Warriors won the game, having to play Curry 34 minutes to beat a six-win Wizards team by eight points. Before, during and after the game, Poole won the night.
