Stephen Curry lost his coveted and beloved Splash Brother when Klay Thompson jumped ship and joined the Dallas Mavericks, robbing the Warriors of one of their top scorers and best defenders.
Andrew Wiggins is doing his best to fill that void.
Playing at a level that is very reminiscent of his NBA All-Star season three years ago when the Warriors won their fourth NBA championship in eight years, Wiggins has played a very significant role in Golden State’s impressive start – the Warriors improved to 12-3 after their 112-108 win over the Pelicans in New Orleans on Friday.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The former No. 1 overall draft pick was in prime form against the Pelicans. He scored a season-high 30 points to go with three rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal. Part of that included Wiggins going 9 of 9 from the free-throw line, an area where the Warriors have had serious issues this season.
30-piece, no biscuit 😤
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 23, 2024
pic.twitter.com/iOQkrHyKTt
It was the eighth 30-point game of Wiggins’ tenure with Golden State and the 48th of his NBA career.
“Andrew is feeling great,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “You saw him knock down all the threes early, his free throws. He looked fantastic out there, his defense on [Brandon] Ingram. A lot of good stuff.”
Golden State Warriors
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
Wiggins’ performance in New Orleans might have raised a few eyebrows around the NBA, but Warriors fans have been seeing a lot of this from the 29-year-old as the season plays out.
Wiggins has scored 20 points or more in each of his last three games, something he hadn’t done since November 2022 when he did it in four consecutive games.
In his most recent stretch, Wiggins is shooting at a 65.1-percent clip (28 of 43) and almost as good (8 of 15, 53.3 percent) from 3-point range.
The Warriors have needed all of it, too.
Wiggs making it look easy 💪
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 23, 2024
pic.twitter.com/dMifXGkS8y
Curry got off to somewhat of a slow start against the Pelicans, but Wiggins came out firing and helped the Warriors take early control of a game that went back and forth all night.
Wiggins made all five shots he took in the first quarter, including a trio of threes, and scored 13 of his 30 points in the opening 12 minutes. It was the 11th time in Wiggins’ NBA career that he has made five shots or more without a miss in one quarter.
Curry eventually got going and scored 19 points, an average night for a scorer like him.
It might not be the Splash Brothers 2.0, but the combo of Curry and Wiggins is proving to be a critical and key part of this season’s version of the Warriors.
The duo has combined for 43 points or more in eight of Golden State’s 15 games so far, forming a very solid and productive one-two punch.
A large chunk of Wiggins’ night was spent defending Ingram. Ingram had 18 points but needed 16 shots to get there.
Wiggins also stepped up big in clutch time and made four free throws over the final two minutes to help secure the win.
The Warriors now are 10-3 this season in games that Wiggins starts.
“I feel like I’m in a pretty good rhythm right now,” Wiggins said. “Just trying to keep myself involved, stay assertive, stay aggressive and just try to attack the rim.”