Poole, Wiggins can lift Warriors out of skid with aggressive play

Facing an imposing schedule without Draymond Green, there is a way for the Warriors to be competitive against the top tier of the NBA. It was on display Thursday night in the persons of Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole.

When those two bring the level of conviction they did in a 122-113 loss to the Mavericks, the Warriors have enough offense to beat most teams – even if their defense is no better than ordinary.

The league already knows what’s coming when Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson lead the Warriors onto the court for tipoff. They are offensive anchors, established All-Stars with closets filled with the hardware required as validation.

Neither the NBA nor the Warriors know what they’re going to get when Wiggins and Poole take the floor. Just as their decline in production mirrors that of the Warriors, who have lost seven of nine, their rise can engender a resurgence.

The Warriors got a lift from both in Dallas. Neither Wiggins nor Poole was not perfect, but there was a clear purpose that was proper, and their conviction was evident. They came to play, and it showed.

Wiggins put in 37 minutes, producing 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block. He didn’t avoid driving into the paint and, at least for a night, kicked his habit of settling for step-back jump shots against vulnerable defenders.

“I liked Andrew’s aggressiveness,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He really attacked the rim tonight. We always need him to be aggressive. He’s at his best when he’s getting to the rim, and he did a much better job of doing that.”

This was in sharp contrast to Wiggins’ recent performances. His 13.8 points-per-game average in February was his lowest output since his first month in the league. His aversion to contact was conspicuous enough to wonder if he dreaded going to the line. Wiggins, at 72.5 percent from line for his career, is shooting 42.9 percent over the last dozen games.

Wiggins shot only 7-of-17 (41.2 percent), but the 17 is more encouraging to the Warriors than the seven is disappointing. The last time he took at least 17 shots was on Jan. 29, when he was 10-of-18, scoring 24 points in a victory over the Nets. That was, by the way, Golden State’s most recent quality win.

Until Andre Iguodala, James Wiseman and Green return – none are expected back in the next few days, with the most plausible scenario that they could begin trickling back during the March 12-20 homestand – an engaged Wiggins is crucial to the Warriors’ chances of staying among the top three teams in the Western Conference.

Poole is no less critical, because he’s a primary ballhandler and the man most capable of dropping 25 points off the bench. He scored a team-high 23 points, on 8-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-6 beyond the arc and 4-of-4 from the line, against the Mavericks.

This was Poole’s most prolific/efficient game in two months, since scoring 32 points on 12-of-17 shooting (5-of-9 from deep) in a Jan. 3 win over the Heat.

“He was aggressive, and he got to the line a little bit,” Kerr said. “He really attacked the rim, which I loved, and knocked down his 3s. Jordan was great.”

Despite his offense, Poole left the game with 7:10 remaining and the Warriors trailing by six. He never returned, as Kerr stayed with Moses Moody, who by scoring 13 of the team’s 22 points, was too valuable to take out.

“Moses played so well down the stretch that he kept Jordan on the bench,” Kerr said. “But Jordan’s effort and production were fantastic.”

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Though the Warriors can smack any opponent if playing exquisite defense, that has been a rare and fleeting sight since Draymond limped out of the lineup on Jan. 9. It materialized in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter Thursday, erasing an eight-point deficit and pulling them into a tie. 

Ragged defense, however, has been topic has been hot for two months. It has been the Warriors variable of despair. It’s why they lost to the Mavericks, who have climbed from the middle of the league into the top-10 conversation.

Wiggins and Poole were chief among reasons why the Warriors were in the game, with a chance to win. They were engaged. Their effort and inclination were spicy. When that happens, the offense has top-five capacity.

When added to typical nights from Curry and Thompson, it’s enough to clobber the league’s lower third, to routinely get past its soft middle and to make for a spirited fight against the elite – even without Draymond.

Only one word stands in the way: “If.”

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