Fresh back from the G League bubble, Warriors Jordan Poole and Nico Mannion played some valuable minutes in Thursday’s 120-98 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
After toying with G League competition for weeks and leaving Orlando, Fla. as the second-leading scorer with 22.4 points per game, Poole scored an NBA career-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting in 26 minutes.
Before Poole left Golden State for the G League, Steve Kerr wished the second-year guard would be more aggressive. Poole scored 13 of his points in a second quarter that featured some nasty moves.
Poole also took over in the fourth quarter once the game was out of hand, taking seven shots in eight Warriors possessions at one point down the stretch.
Nico Mannion started his first NBA game in place of a resting Steph Curry and played 31 minutes. The rookie second-round pick scored nine points on 3-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Mannion dished out six assists, but he also had five turnovers.
Mannion clearly approached this contest with a pass-first mentality, while also showing some nice activity on defense by recording a steal and guarding Chris Paul. Mannion’s minutes will shrink drastically, but he performed well being thrust into a starting role on a night when the Warriors were without Curry, Draymond Green and Kelly Oubre Jr.
Don’t be surprised if Poole and Mannion push Brad Wanamaker for minutes in the second half of the season.
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