OAKLAND -- The Warriors pulled Quinn Cook from the deep freezer Monday night, and after warming slowly, he repaid them by bringing some serious heat.
Cook played a season-high 19 minutes and scored 13 points in a 117-101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. After missing his first five shots, he went 4 of 4 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter alone, doubling his total 3-point makes this season.
"I was really proud of Quinn," coach Steve Kerr said in his postgame press conference. "I've barely played him and he's stayed ready. He works his tail off every day and you could see his shooting stroke never left."
Through 10 games, the third-string point guard had played fewer minutes than every healthy member of the Warriors except rookie Jacob Evans III. Cook didn't play at all last Friday against Minnesota or last Wednesday against the New Orleans -- despite backup point guard Shaun Livingston missing both games.
It was after the win over the Pelicans that Cook went out for a solitary session of postgame shooting on the Oracle Arena.
"You've just got to stay ready," Cook said. "Always got to put the work in, always got to stay in shape and always got to stay in tune with what's going on, because you never know when your opportunity will come.
"That's the name of this game. And with a team like this, you learn every day."
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With Livingston already out and Andre Iguodala resting Monday night, Kerr had indicated Cook would be called upon. There was no way any member of the coaching staff could have known he'd make the offensive impact he did.
"He's a true pro," said Kevin Durant, who has known Cook for about 15 years. "He's been working that hard since he was a kid. It doesn't stop just because you get to the NBA. So that work that he puts in every single day, whenever he gets an opportunity to play, he's confident.
"That's a constant with Quinn. He's going to always work on his game, always be a great teammate and he'll be ready when his number is called."
Cook is now 8 of 17 from beyond the arc. That touch might come in handy with Livingston and Iguodala expected to miss as many as one of every four games in the regular season.
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