Tag: Lester Quinones

NBA Twitter reacts to Warriors’ blowout loss vs. Celtics, 140-88

Here’s what fans and analysts were saying on Twitter after the Warriors’ 52-point blowout loss to the Celtics on Sunday.

Sometimes the final scoreboard doesn’t always reflect just how close a game is. Sunday’s contest between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics wasn’t one of those games. The final score spoke volumes.

After winning the first three games of their road swing and eight consecutive road games, the Warriors had no answer for the Celtics on Sunday afternoon.

Following a flurry of haymakers by the way of Jaylen Brown 3-pointers in the first quarter, the Celtics took control and never looked back. Brown notched a game-high 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting with five made 3-pointers on the way to Boston’s ridiculous 140-88 win over Golden State on Sunday.

Lester Quinones led the Warriors with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field with five rebounds in 33 minutes off the bench on Sunday. Moses Moody was the only member of Golden State’s starting unit to score in double-figures with 11 points.

Steph Curry tallied only four points on 2-of-13 shooting from the field with zero made 3-pointers on nine attempts from beyond the arc in 17 minutes in the first half. With the Warriors trailing by 44 points at halftime, Curry did not play in the second half.

Following Golden State’s 52-point loss in Boston, the NBA community on Twitter exploded with reactions. Here’s a look at what fans and analysts were saying about the game on social media on Sunday.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and X! 

Report: Warriors to convert two-way guard Lester Quinones to standard NBA contract

The 23-year-old guard is averaging 4.8 points on 39% shooting from the field in 19 games this season.

Before the All-Star break comes to an end, the Golden State Warriors are making a tweak to their roster.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Warriors are planning to convert two-way guard Lester Quinones to a standard NBA contract.

Via @wojespn on Twitter:

In 19 games, Quinones is averaging 4.8 points on 39% shooting from the field and 39.5% shooting from beyond the arc with 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 12.9 minutes per game.

Following a quiet start to the season, Quinones has had a strong stretch of games before the All-Star break in February. Quinones tallied double-figure scoring totals in three games in February, including a career-high 17 points against the Atlanta Hawks. Before the break, Quinones played 16 or more minutes in eight of nine games in Februrary.

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After gaining undrafted out of Memphis in 2022, the Warriors initially signed Quinones to a two-way contract before waiving him before the season. Quinones then signed a G League contract with the Santa Cruz Warriors. Quinones was later named the G League’s Most Improved Player.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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Watch: Lester Quinones locks up Trae Young on defense

The Golden State Warriors two-way prospect put the clamps on Trae Young.

Recently, Lester Quinones told the media he was earning his minutes on the defensive end. On his second two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors, Quinones has begun earning minutes within Steve Kerr‘s rotation, albeit due to injury issues with some of the established members of the team.

Nevertheless, Quinones again saw the floor during the Warriors’ overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. During the game, Quinones had a possession that caught the interest of the fan base. He put the clamps on Trae Young, Atlanta’s best player and one of the most talented offensive guards in the NBA.

The defensive highlight has been shared across multiple social media platforms. Quinones, 23, was playing in his 12th game of the season for Golden State, making it 16 NBA games for his career thus far. It will be interesting to see if he can continue to stick within Kerr’s rotation in the coming weeks.

Lester said in his post-game last night that his defense would get him on the court, and whew did he show it off tonight. His on-ball defense on Trae was sublime. Trae wanted nothing to do with the ball when Lester was on him.
byu/taygads inwarriors

You can watch the full clip of Quinones playing defense on Young by clicking on the embedded video above.

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Watch: Warriors’ Lester Quinones beats buzzer with half-court shot vs. Hawks

Lester Quinones beat the buzzer from long distance against the Hawks.

With the Golden State Warriors leading by five points as the first quarter began to wind down, Trae Young hoisted a deep 3-pointer to cut the Warriors’ advantage down to two points before the buzzer. However, the 1.2 seconds left on the clock were enough for Lester Quinones to strike before the end of the quarter.

With just under two seconds left, Quinones pulled up from half-court to launch a high-arcing buzzer-beater. As time expired, Quinones’ heave swished through the net as the first quarter clock hit double zero.

Via @NBCSWarriors on Twitter:

Quinones stayed hot in the first half, scoring 11 points with three made 3-pointers in only six minutes off the bench.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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Lester Quinones discusses defensive focus when playing for Warriors

Lester Quinones believes he’s carving out a defensive niche within the Golden State Warriors rotation.

Lester Quinones has played in five of the last seven games for the Golden State Warriors. He’s notched double-digit minutes in three of those five games. The 23-year-old wing, who is on his second two-way contract with the franchise, has begun to show flashes of the talent that led the Warriors to extend his stay with the franchise for the current season.

On Friday (Feb. 2,) Quinones saw the court for 19 minutes, helping the Warriors secure a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. He chipped in with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and an assist, shooting 50% from the field and 50% from 3-point range. Following the game, Quinones told the media has his current focus is on earning minutes via his defensive play.

“I feel like my defense is what’s getting me on the floor right now,” Quinones said. “My defense will get me on the floor, and I feel like my offense and everything else with shape into itself, and I’ll show my abilities out there. But right now, my niche is defense. Being somebody who comes in right away and junks the game up…Like I said, my defense will get me out there. My shooting is my strength that everybody knows. My playmaking, attacking out of closeouts…My game will just handle itself once I’m out there.”

Quinones has a tough route to earn himself a full-time deal with the Warriors. There’s some elite talent ahead of him in the rotation. However, if he can continue impressing in the limited opportunities being afforded to him, he could force the front office’s hand ahead of the summer.

Really appreciated Lester’s post-game. Kid’s working hard on his game and approaching his opportunities with the right mentality.
byu/taygads inwarriors

Quinones has now played in 15 NBA games over the past two seasons. It will be interesting to see how many more times we see him on the court between now and the end of the regular season.

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Watch: Lester Quinones hits smooth step back jumper for Dominican Republic in FIBA World Cup

Lester Quinones shook a defender with crafty handles before knocking down a smooth jumper for the Dominican Republic in the FIBA World Cup.

While Steve Kerr coaches Team USA in the FIBA World Cup, another player from the Bay Area is representing the Golden State Warriors in the Philippines with the Dominican Republic.

Two-way guard Lester Quinones is suiting up alongside Karl Anthony Towns in the FIBA World Cup for the Dominican Republic. With a run of three consecutive wins in Group A, Quinones and the Domincan Republic are headed for the second stage of the tournament.

In their final group stage win over Angola on Monday, Quinones showed off a smooth jumper. After shaking a defender with some crafty handles in the corner, Quinones let a crisp jumper fly to knock down a shot.

Via @FIBAWC on Twitter:

In 16 minutes off the bench, Quinones finished with seven points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field to go along with three rebounds in the Dominican Republic’s 75-67 win over Angola.

Quinones and the Dominican Republic will wait to learn their opponents in the second round of the tournament.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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FIBA World Cup: Warriors’ Lester Quinones plays 15 minutes for Dominican Republic vs. Philippines

Lester Quinones scored two points in 15 minutes during the Dominican Republic’s victory over the Philippines to start the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Steve Kerr isn’t the only member representing the Golden State Warriors at the 2023 edition of the FIBA World Cup.

When the World Cup tournament officially got underway on Friday morning, Golden State guard Lester Quinones was on the court for the Dominican Republic against the Philippines.

During the Domincan Republic’s 87-81 win over the Philippines in the Group A opener of the FIBA World Cup, Quinones played 15 minutes. Quinones finished with two points on a cold 0-of-4 shooting from the field to go along with three boards and a steal.

Karl Anthony-Towns led the winners with 26 points on 5-of-16 shooting from the field with four made 3s to go along with 10 rebounds.

Watch highlights from the Dominican Republic’s win over the Philippines via YouTube:

Next, Quiones and the Dominican Republic will meet Italy in their second game of the group stage on Sunday.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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10 U.S.-born NBA players (Karl-Anthony Towns!) who are on non-American FIBA World Cup rosters

Jordan Clarkson will represent the Philippines, who will also host the tournament.

The 2023 FIBA World Cup begins next week and 32 teams will compete in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia for a shot at a gold medal.

Although the United States men’s basketball team has a strong roster and enters the tournament as favorites, there are several other national teams (e.g. Canada!) who have a chance to make some noise.

While many of the top international stars are not able to play for one reason or another, there are some familiar faces you may see who you thought were American but are not playing for Team USA.

FIBA allows teams to have one naturalized player on their roster. Let’s run through some of the notable names you’ll see on other rosters:

Lester Quinones drops 30 points for Dominican Republic in FIBA World Cup tuneup game

In a tune-up game against Memphis for the FIBA World Cup, Lester Quinones caught fire for 30 points for the Dominican Republic.

After a red-hot stretch in the summer league, second-year guard Lester Quinones stayed hot during an appearance with the Dominican Republic international basketball team.

Quinones is set to play for the Dominican Republic in the FIBA World Cup. Prior to the Dominican Republic’s first contest in the World Cup, it played a tuneup game against the Memphis Tigers, Quinones’ alma mater.

The former G League Most Improved Player picked up right where he left off, scoring 30 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field with six made 3s to go with four assists as the Dominican Republic cruised to a 91-84 over Penny Hardaway and the Tigers.

Via @GSWReddit on X:

The Dominican Republic will open its FIBA World Cup campaign against the Philippines on Aug. 25 at 5 a.m., PT. In the group stage, the Dominican Republic will play Angola and Italy along with the Philippines.

Steve Kerr (USA), Cory Joseph (Canada) and Quinones (Dominican Republic) will represent the Warriors in the FIBA World Cup.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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Warriors’ Lester Quinones caps Summer League with fiery 32-point performance vs. Raptors

Lester Quinones put an exclamation point on his impressive Summer League performance with 32 points in the finale against the Raptors on Saturday.

After impressing throughout the Summer League, Lester Quinones put an exclamation point on his time in Las Vegas with a sizzling effort in the Golden State Warriors’ finale on Saturday against the Toronto Raptors.

Despite the Warriors going winless in the Summer League with an 0-5 record, Quinones showed the ability to score in bunches and lead the team in scoring in Las Vegas. After putting together multiple performances with over 25 points in the Summer League, Quinones caught fire in the finale on Saturday against the Raptors for a game-high 32 points.

On his way to 32 points, Quinones shot 8-of-17 from the field with four made triples to go along with six assists, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks in 32 minutes.

Watch highlights from Quinones’ performance in the Warriors loss to the Raptors on Saturday via YouTube:

Throughout the Summer League, Quinones made a serious case for one of the Warriors’ final roster spots or a two-way deal with the team heading into training camp.

Quinones earned the G League’s Most Improved Player award before earning a 10-day deal with the Warriors. Quinones finished the season on a two-way contract with Golden State.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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