Was Moody's spark vs. Pacers enough to earn him a larger role?

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Warriors' last man off the bench Wednesday night in their 125-119 loss to the Indiana Pacers was perhaps their most impressive. 

Moses Moody didn't see any action until the 7:37 mark in the second quarter. Thirty seconds later, Moody caught a quick pass from Steph Curry and without hesitation knocked down a 3-pointer from the left corner. 

That was the start to Moody's latest example of always being ready when his number's called. And those opportunities, along with his role, very well could grow exponentially in the near future. 

"I'm really pleased with his play over the last couple of weeks," coach Steve Kerr said after the loss. "He's gotten his opportunities and he's made the most of them. ... Moses has done a great job and I imagine he'll be out there again next game."

Even with Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins unavailable for Wednesday night's game, Kerr surprised many by turning to two-way players Ty Jerome and Anthony Lamb as his first two players off the bench. The Warriors led 20-11 before a second-unit player first stepped on the court. They were outscored 16-6 once second-unit players first came in, trailing 27-26 going into the second quarter. 

Jerome (minus-20) and Lamb (minus-18) had a combined plus/minus rating of minus-38 in the loss.

Rookie Patrick Baldwin Jr., the only available Warrior who didn't receive any playing time all night, along with Moody, were the sole players who didn't see the court in the first quarter. Once Moody entered for the first time, it was hard to take him out. 

Moody ended up seeing 23 minutes of action, second to only Jonathan Kuminga's 24 minutes off the bench. He scored 13 points, missing one of his six shot attempts.

While going 5-for-6 from the field, Moody also went 2-for-3 on 3-pointers and made his only free throw. He added two rebounds and led the bench with three assists, making several other standout plays.

"Moses is the oldest professional, or youngest professional -- old guy, whatever you want to say. He's mature as hell," Donte DiVincenzo said. "He comes in when his number's called and he does his job. I think it was great for him tonight to play damn good defense, and honestly, to see the ball go through the rim. 

"That's what he does, he shoots that thing. Just keep building off of it. Things are going to go up and down for him this year, as is everybody. But for him to stay poised and as mature as he is, it's great to see."

With the Warriors down by 20 points at halftime, Moody was key to them nearly pulling off a wild second-half comeback. The 20-year-old played over 15 minutes and scored eight of his 15 points. He also was a plus-10 in plus/minus over that span. 

The first half was a one-man show with Curry scoring half of the Warriors' 54 points. Others had to step up. When Curry went down with a left shoulder injury with two minutes to go in the second half, the pressure ramped up even more. 

To Moody, the mindset at halftime and when the Warriors lost Curry for at least the rest of Wednesday night's game was simple: Put up or shut up. In an 82-game season, game No. 29 could be another tally on the calendar. For role players, especially as young as Moody, every second is a chance to make a statement. 

Though the final score didn't end in their favor, Moody and others gave Kerr reasons to find positives after a loss. Plus, Moody believes that kind of fight ultimately will pay off in the long run.

"I feel like times like this are a test for your team and your resilience to seeing stuff going the wrong way," Moody said. "You can either start pointing fingers and get down, or you can have what it takes to fight back. That mindset doesn't really change. 

"If you got it right now during the regular season in a random away game, you'll have that same mindset in the playoffs when everybody's looking. Just making sure we have that and building on that." 

For the final eight minutes, the Warriors didn't have Curry, Thompson, Wiggins or Draymond Green. With 8:10 remaining in the game, Green was hit with his second technical foul and was ejected. Moody replaced Green and the Warriors trailed 107-95. Golden State's claws got that much sharper without their top four players. 

In a game where the Warriors once trailed by 25 points, the Warriors cut the deficit to only three points at the 1:25 mark. On the Warriors' following defensive possession, it looked like Moody was going to be the gutsy hero of the night.

The 6-foot-6 guard/wing put his body on the line with barely over a minute left. Initially, a charge was called on Pacers center Myles Turner, with Moody taking the fall.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle challenged the decision, and upon further review, a shooting foul was assessed on Moody, sending Turner to the line for two free throws. Moody officially has been credited for drawing three charges this season, and tried for a handful of others. 

Kerr sees a combination of toughness, feel for the game and coachability in Moody's ability to find his name next to hustle stats. Moody himself doesn't necessarily take pride in taking charges but says he does his best to recognize when it's time to try and absorb his opponent. 

"Honestly, it's more of a reflex," Moody said. "A lot of times I'm in that position to where I feel like they might try to call a foul on me or if I'm there and I don't jump, or it's just an instinct for me. Sometimes that's why I might take it when I maybe shouldn't, because it's a reflex. That's how I would describe it."

Uttering the words "moral victory" sends shivers down the spine of Warriors players and coaches. That's not what they play for. It's not close to their standards. 

Though if they did notch them in a notebook, the second half of their loss in Indianapolis would fit the bill.

After an embarrassing second quarter where the Warriors gave up 47 points -- the most they've allowed in any quarter this season -- and were outscored by 19 points, the Warriors raced out to a 33-19 third-quarter advantage and were even, 32-32, in a fourth quarter where Curry remained in the locker room. Between the final 24 minutes, they scored 14 more points than the Pacers. 

Over the final eight-plus minutes without Green, where Moody stayed in until the final buzzer, the Warriors were a plus-6, scoring 24 points compared to the Pacers' 18. Maybe giving Moody the nod earlier on would have helped the Warriors keep themselves away from such a deep hole to dig out of.

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Curry is the centerpiece. Moody and many others will have to step up if Curry's MRI on Thursday doesn't bode well for the defending champions. He and some others also proved a point. 

"I feel like it sends a message to us, knowing we can be down like that at halftime and we got those guys, we got it in us to fight back," Moody said. "Obviously no moral victories, we lost, but it says something that we're willing to fight back. It says something to us, not necessarily anybody else."

What does it say to the man in charge? Kerr clearly is happy with what he is seeing out of Moody, who was a plus-15 over the Warriors' previous three games before his excellent showing in Indianapolis. Maybe so much so that Moody has jumped some spots in the rotations.  

Kerr's decision there is another to add to the Warriors' long list of their waiting game. Whether it's health, roster construction or figuring out exactly what they have in their young core, what happens next with Moody is a verdict that can be very important for this team.

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