Few things can beautify an offense better than 48 minutes against the worst defense in the NBA, and the Warriors took advantage Monday night with a 125-117 victory over the Wizards at Capital One Arena in Washington.
The Warriors (12-39) shot 50 percent (15-of-30) from distance to collect their first back-to-back road wins this season.
Alec Burks scored a team-high 30 points to lead six Warriors scoring in double figures as they held off a late rally by the Wizards.
Bradley Beal led Washington (17-of-32) with 43 points.
Here are three takeaways from a game in which the Warriors exploited a Washington team with a league-worst 116.3 defensive rating.
Stocks rise for Burks, Robinson
With the trade deadline closing in, the Warriors sat D’Angelo Russell with a right quad contusion. That’s one trade chip under wraps.
Sports
The other two trade prospects, Glenn Robinson III and Burks, were on full and glorious display.
Burks entered the game with 6:39 left in the first quarter and scored 13 points over the final 5:21. He finished with 30 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field, including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Coming into the night behind an impressive seven-game stretch during which he averaged 15.9 points on 59.7-percent shooting, Robinson stayed on course. He scored 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-4 from deep. He also recorded a season-high seven assists.
At least one of these players, probably both, will head elsewhere before noon Thursday. On this night, they produced the kind of tape that can increase their value to potential trade partners.
[RELATED: Report: Warriors discussed possible D-Lo trade with Knicks]
Draymond brings the energy
This was the eighth day of a 10-day road trip through the Eastern Conference, and Stephen Curry not only has been along for the ride, but also is making an impact.
Specifically, Curry’s presence seems to be bringing out the best in Draymond Green.
Green’s energy at both ends once again seemed to lift the spirit of the entire team. He was drawing charges, attacking the glass, dropping in triples, dishing dimes and generally painting his way through the stat sheet.
He finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-3 from distance, along with 10 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block. He was plus-8 over 33 minutes.
Green has 42 assists over the first four games of the trip.
This has been a tough season for Draymond, as the Warriors already have as many losses as during his first three seasons as a starter combined. Having Curry around as a reminder of the past and a glimpse of the future, while also offering moral support, undoubtedly is good for Green’s soul.
The Looney difference
Kevon Looney was sidelined for a full six weeks, during which time his future often appeared cloudy. He was coping with a neuropathic condition, for which there is no cure, that made certain movements particularly painful.
The 6-foot-9 forward kept working until he regained a level of conditioning that allowed him to better tolerate the discomfort, and he returned to the lineup with a solid 13 minutes Saturday at Cleveland.
With Looney, it’s best to ignore the numbers -- he submitted two points, three assists and four rebounds against the Wizards -- and focus on the things that contribute to winning.
It’s Looney denying a Beal drive with textbook fundamental defense. It’s Looney diving into the paint to get a tip-in between two Washington big men. It’s Looney reminding opponents that getting a bucket against him is quite the challenge. Over 10 minutes, Looney was a team-high plus-12.
Getting double-digit effective minutes out of Looney in each of the last two games might be the most meaningful revelation thus far on the trip.
