SAN FRANCISCO – As the Warriors try to climb up the Western Conference standings, it’s increasingly apparent they’re going to need the man who recharged their batteries Wednesday night.
After the Warriors rolled through the first half, dismantling the Milwaukee Bucks' rebuilt defense and taking a 20-point lead, they hit a lull in the third quarter and watched their lead shrivel to six with 5:33 left in the quarter.
That’s when rookie center Trayce Jackson-Davis entered the fray and, boy, did the energy change.
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It changed for the Warriors, who have blown so many big leads. It changed for the sellout crowd (18,064) inside Chase Center, which was starting to stir with anxiety. It also changed for the Bucks insofar as they began to droop.
With Jackson-Davis blocking shots, catching and dunking lobs and turning Milwaukee megastar Giannis Antetokounmpo into a mere mortal, the Bucks scored only four points the rest of the quarter and Golden State waltzed off with a 125-90 victory.
“Trayce is so bouncy, and he's got long arms, can really protect the rim and get off the floor quickly,” coach Steve Kerr said. “It just gives us a different look. Giannis is so hard to guard, so it was good to change it up on Giannis after Draymond guarded him for a little bit, Loon as well and then the little change of pace with Trayce with his athleticism and rim protection.”
Jackson-Davis finished with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field, six rebounds and four blocks. He was plus-20 in 19 minutes.
Golden State Warriors
Over the final 5:33 of the third quarter, Jackson-Davis did his most spectacular work, scoring seven points, grabbing three rebounds and blocking three shots. The blocks – two of which came against Antetokounmpo – were impactful enough to tilt the game toward the Warriors.
The Warriors outscored the Bucks 38-13 over the final 17:17 of the game.
“The first thing was Klay (Thompson) getting me going with the first basket,” Jackson-Davis said. “The help-side defense on Giannis was great. We're just stepping over making plays with timing. He's a great player. He's a load to guard, so props to our defense trying to contain him.”
Jackson-Davis was the heart of that defense that stopped Giannis cold. He scored only four points the rest of the game.
The decision to play Jackson-Davis – at the expense of Dario Sarić, who entered only after the game was decided – was based on the reality of what is ahead for the Warriors. Their big men – Draymond Green, Kevon Looney and Jackson-Davis – will confront some daunting challenges down the stretch, particularly with most contenders rolling out 7-footers.
“We're going to need Loon in the playoffs,” Kerr said. “There’s going to be matchups where we’re going to need him. I know I can trust him.
“But we’ve got to get Trayce more minutes to get him ready for the playoffs because he needs reps. He needs more time. You can see what he did tonight. He has an ability to finish and to block shots that gives us a different look.”
To make the kind of late-season run that can vault the Warriors into the top six of the conference standings, there absolutely must be a rim presence on defense and vertical spacing on offense. Only Jackson-Davis, at 6-foot-9 but with a 40-inch vertical leap, brings that.
“The playoffs are a different beast,” Jackson-Davis said. “We’ve got a lot of vets on the team, so me and (Brandin Podziemski) are going to rely on them a lot. But just coming in here and getting this game experience against great teams, be able to go out and perform just play as hard as you can, that's the biggest thing for me.”
The victory moved the Warriors back into ninth place, ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers and only a half-game behind the Dallas Mavericks, who they face three times over the final month. Kerr and his staff have seen enough of Jackson-Davis to know his value is rising, and will continue to as the minutes come. The rookie has come a long way from being out of the rotation the first two months to becoming an essential component.