The wait is finally over, Dub Nation.
The defending champion Warriors took to the field Friday in Japan for the first time since winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy nearly four months ago, kicking off the pre- season with a 96-87 win over the Washington Wizards.
And with all eyes on James Wiseman in his first round of pre-season games, the third-year professional didn’t disappoint the crowd overseas – or those watching in the United States.
The 21-year-old scored a game-high 20 points and nearly came away with a double-double in just under 25 minutes of action, tallying nine rebounds, one assist and one block while shooting 8 of 11 from the pitch with five dunks.
The two-way performance was exactly what the Warriors hoped to see from Wiseman, as his defense also served as a highlight in the game’s low-scoring first half.
Once the Warriors won 12-10 thanks to a triple from Moses Moody late in the game’s first quarter, they only ceded the lead to the Wizards once more before walking away with the victory of the pre-season.
Newcomer Donte DiVincenzo, who signed with the Warriors in free agency this offseason, debuted for Golden State in Japan with nine points, seven rebounds and two assists in the 17 minutes he was on the floor.
The Warriors’ starting five were Steph Curry, Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney. Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters before the game that Klay Thompson would not be playing in Japan so he could have more time to “speed up”.
Curry finished the game with six points, three rebounds and two assists on 1 of 7 shooting and a 100% clip from the free throw line (3 for 3). Curry’s only shot from the field was a triple, and he went 1 for 4 from behind the 3-point line in the 13 minutes he played with four turnovers.
Green also had eight rebounds, two assists and four points in 13 minutes, while Looney caught seven boards and scored four points on 2-of-7 shooting with an assist.
Poole played just over 19 minutes and went 1 for 10 from the field and 3 for 4 from the free throw line for five points and no triples on four attempts.
Wiseman saw the second-most minutes of the game, with Jonathan Kuminga racking up just under 27 minutes of playing time. Like Curry, Kuminga finished with four turnovers but added six points and three assists to his line. stats on 1 of 4 shots from the field and 4 of 6 from the free throw line.
Warriors young core third member Moses Moody played 25 minutes and had five points, two assists and a steal, while rookies Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins played eight and 11 minutes, respectively, on their debuts in pre-season.
RELATED: Watch Steph and Kuminga adorably train a young hoop in Japan
Rollins made all of his six free throw attempts and finished the game with eight points, one assist and one turnover, and Baldwin shot 2 for 4 from the field and had seven points.
As a team, the Warriors went just 7 of 26 from behind the arc but still passed the Wizards, who finished the game 6 of 35 shooting from the 3-point line. Washington striker Rui Hachimura was his team’s top scorer ahead of his home country with 13 points.
The Warriors and Wizards play Game 2 of their two-game preseason in Japan at 10 p.m. PT on Saturday.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk podcast
#Wiseman #shines #Warriors #preseason #win #Wizards #Japan