Andrew Wiggins, Warriors torch Rockets to notch 10th straight home win
Andrew Wiggins scored 17 of his season-high 36 points in the third quarter.
>Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) tries to get around Golden State
Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) during the first half of an NBA
basketball game in San Francisco, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. (AP
Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: December 3, 2022 at 6:56 p.m. | UPDATED: December 4, 2022 at
2:16 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/12/03/andrew-wiggins-warriors-torch-rockets-to-notch-10th-straight-home-win/

SAN FRANCISCO — Andrew Wiggins doesn’t want the attention, but all eyes
were on the Warriors wing Saturday evening in the Warriors’ 120-101
smackdown of the young Houston Rockets.

Wiggins had fans on the edge of their seats with every shot he took in a
sizzling third quarter, during which he scored 17 of his season-high 36
points.

“Man, I felt like I was floating,” said Wiggins, who went 5-for-7 from
downton in the third. “My shot felt good, my teammates did a great job
finding me and getting me open shots and good looks, so it felt good.”

All said, Wiggins tallied eight 3s, tying his single-game record, in
what was his best offensive night of the season. But he wasn’t the only
one hot from behind the 3-point line. Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole
went a combined 13-for-25 from deep. The Warriors made 25 shots from
beyond the arc, marking the fourth time in five games where they sank 20
or more from downtown. Meanwhile, the Rockets shot a lousy 3-for-28 from
3-point range.

“We have a lot of guys that if you get good quality shots, you have a
lot of confidence that everybody can step up and knock them down,” Curry
said after the win.

Curry, who remained in the game after appearing to injure his foot in
the third quarter when landing awkwardly on a missed layup, notched his
seventh double-double of the season with 30 points and 10 assists. Poole
added 21 points while starting in place of Klay Thompson, who has yet to
play in both sides of a back-to-back since he returned last January from
two major injuries. That could change for Thompson later this season,
though, coach Steve Kerr hinted pregame.

Thompson’s absence paved the way for Moses Moody minutes. The
second-year guard has been a casualty of what Kerr has called a “numbers
game” and hadn’t played in three of the last four games entering Saturday.

Moody hit a pair of timely 3s in the fourth — the first to stop a 9-0
run by the Rockets who were rallying back from a double-digit hole — and
another later to extend the Warriors’ lead to 10 with less than five
minutes remaining. He finished with 11 points on 4 of 5 shooting in 17
minutes.

Kerr had high praises for Moody and how he’s handled the difficulties of
being on the fringe of the rotation this season.

“Moses is someone who I just believe in as a human being and he showed
why tonight,” Kerr said. “That takes a lot of character to come in off
the bench with a lot of cobwebs and shake all those off and knock down
big shots and play important minutes, so hats off to Moses.”

But Moody couldn’t help but be honest about the challenges of knowing
you’re capable of contributing on a title-defending team but not getting
the opportunity.

“It sucks,” he said. “But that’s the situation. It is what it is but I
just got to be the best person I can be. Work on what I can work on.
Outside of that, make sure I’m ready for whenever my name gets called.
And then just go out there every day because… I can get thrown into the
game at any time and then I got to go out there and play.”

The Warriors improve to 11-1 at home and 13-11 overall. They host the
Indiana Pacers Monday night before hitting the road for a quick trip to
Salt Lake City, Utah, to play the Jazz.