After snapping a four-game losing skid on Monday, the Golden State Warriors opened a three-contest road swing with a tilt against the Miami Heat.
Despite troubles with fouling and turnovers, the Warriors only trailed the defending Eastern Conference champions by five points heading into the fourth quarter. While Steph Curry drilled a flurry of long-distance shots in the final minutes, the Warriors couldn’t rally a comeback to slow down the Miami Heat on Thursday night.
Former Warrior Andre Igulada helped close out his former team, scoring 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor with two boards in the final 12 minutes. Despite a game-high 36 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field with 11 boards, the Warriors dropped the first game of their road swing, 116-109.
Draymond Green’s scoring
Although Draymond Green is only averaging 6.3 points on 41% shooting from the field, the former Defensive Player of the Year helped lead Golden State’s offensive charge against the Heat.
Green notched a season-high 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor. The Michigan State product added 10 rebounds and eight assists in a double-double effort.
Andrew Wiggins stays hot
During the month of March, Andrew Wiggins has helped carry the Warriors, averaging 21.3 points on 50.5% from the field. The former No. 1 overall pick has been especially impressive from beyond the arc, shooting 54.1% on 5.1 attempts from deep in March.
On the first day of April, Wiggins continued to stay hot. Wiggins recorded 23 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the floor with four triples. The Kansas product added eight boards, four assists and three blocks in 35 minutes.
Victor Oladipo’s debut in Miami
After landing with the Heat in a blockbuster deal at the NBA trade deadline one week ago, Victor Oladipo made his south beach debut on Thursday against the Warriors.
Oladipo was quiet in 23 minutes out of the starting lineup, scoring only six points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field. The two-time All-Star tacked on five assists and two steals.