What woke Wiggins up after Kuminga’s injury in Warriors’ win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – With 2:27 left in the first half Saturday night, as Jonathan Kuminga was lying face down under the basket after an awkward fall after trying to block a shot, Chase Center remained silent with concern and Andrew Wiggins stood nearby, watching helplessly.
An alarm began to ring in Wiggins’ ears.
With 1:02 left in the half, the alarm went off loudly. Deafening.
What started with the sight of Kuminga lying on the ground intensified considerably 85 seconds later when Memphis guard Desmond Bane slammed into Wiggins, sending him sprawling — and being whistled for a blocking foul as Bane’s shot crossed the net with 1:02 left. half.
Wiggins heard the alarm. The Warriors and Grizzlies spent the first half matching each other’s mediocrity, but no one on Golden State’s roster needed more of a wake-up call.
Wiggins’ response was obvious once she came out in the second half, and she was emphatic enough to send the Warriors en route to 121-113 victory and their first consecutive victories in six weeks.
After dozing through the first half with a basket and neither a rebound nor an assist, Wiggins went after the Grizzlies like they had offended his family, draining a floater 12 seconds into the third quarter. He followed with a 3-pointer 64 seconds later, and another jumper two possessions later.
“That bump,” Wiggins said of playing Bane. “That woke me up.”
To the tune of eight points in the first two and a half minutes of the second half, 10 more over the next seven minutes, for a total of 18 during his 10-minute stint in the quarter.
“Wiggs, in that third quarter when JK was out — he was 1 of 6 at halftime — just took over when we really needed him the most,” said coach Steve Kerr.
Wiggins, who finished with a game-high 24 points, brought life to a Golden State offense that desperately needed it, especially without Kuminga, who limped into the locker room immediately after getting up, was diagnosed with sprained right ankle. There was no immediate prognosis, but Kerr indicated he would miss time.
“It’s not going to be an everyday affair,” Kerr said. “It was a significant sprain.”
Kuminga’s absence, whether for a half that night or for many games to come, is primarily a signal to Wiggins. Kuminga is the team’s second-leading scorer, behind Stephen Curry. Wiggins is No. 3, half a point per game behind Kuminga.
For the Warriors to mount enough offense to win games — especially with Curry dealing with lingering soreness in both knees and the possibility of Kuminga being sidelined — Wiggins needs to step up his aggression.
He can’t be the guy who has lost all offensive relevance in recent games, averaging 9.5 points on 16-of-43 (37.2%) shooting from the field, including 4-of-18 (22.2%). ) from a distance.
As for the play involving Bane, Kerr also pointed out that it was the impetus for the Wiggins revival.
“Desmond Bane’s play, when he crossed it at the end of the half,” Kerr said. “It made Wiggs crazy. So he came out ready to go in third.
With his dunk with 1:07 left giving the Warriors a 119-109 lead, Wiggins was responsible for propelling the Warriors to a level enough to put the Grizzlies to sleep for the night.
It was as if the sight of Kuminga limping woke up the guy who needed a wake-up call, in this game and beyond.