Why Wiggins vs. SGA is matchup to watch in Warriors-Thunder originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – After receiving a warning shot two nights ago, the Warriors on Wednesday night will confront the real deal.
And if that weren’t enough, they’ll have to face the challenge without Stephen Curry, who was declared out Wednesday afternoon with pain in both knees.
The warning shot came from Brooklyn point guard Dennis Schroder, who lit up the Warriors for 31 points and seven assists to lead the Nets to a 128-120 victory at Chase Center.
The real deal is Oklahoma City point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was voted first-team All-NBA in each of the past two seasons. He leads the Thunder (13-4), who sit atop the Western Conference, into Chase to face the second-place Warriors (12-5), who are one game back in the standings.
With Gilgeous-Alexander averaging 29.2 points per game (fifth in the NBA), the Warriors will rely on their typical plan against elite offensive scorers. They go after him with three or four defenders, with Andrew Wiggins expected to be primary. Gary Payton II and Moses Moody will be in the rotation. If Jonathan Kuminga is cleared to play – he missed the last two games with illness – he also will have opportunities.
There are games when the Warriors reeeaaally will miss De’Anthony Melton’s defensive skill, and this is such a matchup.
Golden State, with Melton starting at shooting guard on Nov. 10, is responsible for one of Gilgeous-Alexander’s least effective games this season. He scored 24 points but shot 6-of-17 from the field, including 0-of-2 from beyond the arc. SGA’s total was boosted by 7-of-7 shooting from the line.
No less crucial to the Warriors’ success is that Gilgeous-Alexander struggled to find rhythm after center Chet Holmgren, equally adept at pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop, exited after sustaining a serious hip injury in the first quarter. Golden State forced SGA into four turnovers. It’s not an outrageous number, but the Thunder are 2-3 when he commits at least four turnovers.
How has Gilgeous-Alexander responded after losing to the Warriors? In the seven games since, he averaged 33.6 points on 53.7-percent shooting from the field, including 47.5-percent from distance.
Put simply, SGA is going to be a difficult challenge to conquer.
