The Poole Party continued for Jordan Poole who continued to stand out against the Suns. The guard dropped a season-high 38 points, which also tied his career-high.
For 75 seasons, Steph Curry was the only player in Warriors history to have a game in which he scored at least 38 points, grabbed at least nine rebounds, dished out at least seven assists and made at least seven 3-pointers. In fact, he has done it three different times. No one else in franchise history had done it.
That changed Wednesday night when Jordan Poole achieved the feat in the Warriors' 107-103 loss to the Phoenix Suns at Chase Center.
Poole finished with a season-high 38 points, had nine rebounds, seven assists and made seven 3-pointers, the brightest spot for the Warriors in an inspired performance against the NBA-best Suns.
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With Curry out because of a sprained ligament in his left foot, Poole has had to pick up the slack and he has done just that in March. Including his performance against the Suns, Poole is averaging 25.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 4.2 3-pointers in 16 games this month.
The three occurrences that Curry achieved the feat have happened in the last six years, per Basketball Reference:
- Jan. 22, 2016 in win vs. Indiana Pacers: 39 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, eight 3-pointers
- Dec. 5, 2018 in win vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: 42 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, nine 3-pointers
- Feb. 2, 2021 in loss to Boston Celtics: 38 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, seven 3-pointers
While it's unfair to compare Poole to a generational talent like Curry, people outside the Warriors are starting to notice that the 22-year-old has some similar traits to the two-time NBA MVP.
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Before Poole went off for 38 points, Suns coach Monty Williams was asked how he can to slow down the former first-round pick.
"He's right there with all the top scorers in the league, so case in point, they're all hard to stop because they do it in so many ways, at the rim, mid-range, from three, their body movement," Williams told reporters at Chase Center. "The tough part about Jordan is he's learning how to play like Steph. He understands that when Draymond has it at the top and he's close by, that's a quick [dribble handoff] or quick pass and screen, whereas last year, I don't think they played as quickly in that environment.
"I think the corporate knowledge he has in this program has allowed for him to be an even better player. He's like a lot of the top players in this league now, top scorers anyway, you have to give them different defense and be as physical as you can to the legal limit to try to limit their looks at the basket."
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All-Star appearances and a massive pay day might follow in the years to come, but for now Poole is proving that he can be an elite scorer in the NBA and that's what the Warriors need with Curry out.
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