Andrew Wiggins still is searching to find the consistent shooting stroke that helped make him an All-Star three years ago when the Warriors won their sixth NBA title, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with his defense.
Just ask Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
Wiggins was one of the primary defenders against Tatum on Wednesday when the Warriors handed the defending champs their second loss of the 2024-25 NBA season, a 118-112 Golden State victory that should cement coach Steve Kerr’s squad as a legitimate contender.
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Tatum, a five-time All-Star who also was a member of Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics, had 32 points but needed 20 shots and a monster third quarter (17 points with four 3-pointers) to get there.
“Loved Wiggs tonight,” Kerr told reporters at TD Garden. “The game started out a little slow for him but really got into Jayson, tried to make it as tough as possible. Jayson was still phenomenal and really got it going in the second half, but I thought Wiggs did a really good job on him.”
Wiggins, who missed two games earlier this season with a lower back strain, has a 107.7 defensive rating that places him among the top small forwards in the NBA. That defense also has helped keep Wiggins in Kerr’s rotations while the 29-year-old chases down his offense.
Wiggins finished with 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting (0-for-3 behind the arc) and is shooting 44.4 percent from the floor (32 of 62), his lowest shooting numbers since the 2018-19 season when he shot a career-low 41.2 percent.
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To be fair, Wiggins did connect on a pivotal mid-range shot that gave the Warriors a lead in the back-and-forth fourth quarter. He also made a pair of clutch free throws with 25 seconds remaining.
And then there was the lay-up. The missed lay-up to be exact.
Early in the first quarter, the Warriors got out on a fastbreak and Buddy Hield dished the ball to Wiggins, who was racing toward the bucket. Wiggins grabbed the ball and went up to lay it in but the ball went over the hoop, rolled on the back iron then fell away.
GP2 isn't going to let Wiggs forget his first-half missed layup 😂 #DunkItWiggs pic.twitter.com/UEFVQq522A
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 7, 2024
Gary Payton II playfully skewered Wiggins about the miss after the game on NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Warriors Postgame Live” show.
“Please do not let me start with Wiggs and these layups,” Payton said. “He is 6-foot-8, 6-foot-9. I tell him just to dunk it. Hashtag dunk it, Wiggs. He cleaned it up. He made big plays and a big stop down the stretch. So Wiggs going to be Wiggs, but it's game eight. So hopefully he starts dunking [in] game nine.”