Warriors

James Wiseman Shines in Warriors' Preseason Win Vs. Wizards in Japan

Wiseman shines in Warriors' preseason win vs. Wizards in Japan originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

The wait is finally over, Dub Nation.

The defending-champion Warriors took the court on Friday in Japan for the first time since hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy nearly four months ago, kicking off preseason play with a 96-87 win over the Washington Wizards.

And with all eyes on James Wiseman in his first slate of preseason games, the third-year pro did not disappoint the crowd overseas -- or those watching back in the United States.

The 21-year-old scored a game-high 20 points and nearly walked away with a double-double in just under 25 minutes of action, tallying a team-high nine rebounds, one assist and one block while shooting 8-of-11 from the field with five dunks.

The two-way performance was exactly what the Warriors had hoped to see from Wiseman, as his defense also served as a high point in the game’s low-scoring first half.

Once the Warriors went up 12-10 thanks to a triple from Moses Moody late in the game’s first quarter, they only surrendered the lead once more to the Wizards before walking away with the preseason win.

Newcomer Donte DiVincenzo, who signed with the Warriors in free agency this offseason, made quite the debut 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 was Steph Curry, Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney. Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters before the game that Klay Thompson wouldn’t play in Japan so that he could have more time to "ramp up."

Curry finished the game with six points, three rebounds and two assists on 1-of-7 shooting and a 100 percent clip from the free-throw line (3-for-3). Curry’s lone 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 ended up with eight rebounds, two assists and four points in 13 minutes as well, while Looney grabbed 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 stat line on 1-of-4 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line.

The third member of the Warriors’ young core, Moses Moody, played 25 minutes and put up five points two assists and a steal, while rookies Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins played eight and 11 minutes, respectively, in their preseason debuts.

RELATED: Watch Steph, Kuminga adorably train young hooper in Japan

Rollins made all of his six free-throw attempts and finished the game with eight points, an assist and a turnover, and Baldwin went 2-for-4 shooting from the field and tallied seven points.

As a team, the Warriors went just 7-for-26 from behind the arc but still outshot the Wizards, who finished the game 6-of-35 shooting from the 3-point line. Washington forward Rui Hachimura was his team’s top scorer in front of his home country with 13 points.

The Warriors and Wizards will play the second game of their two-game preseason set in Japan at 10 p.m. PT on Saturday.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Copyright RSN
Contact Us