Lindy Waters plays heroine in first preseason win – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

BOX score

HONOLULU, Hawaii – After four days of training camp at BYU-Hawaii, the Warriors ventured to the University of Hawaii on Saturday and brought fireworks to the season opener, defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 91-90 in a game-winning, buzzer-beating game. Hitting Lindy Waters III's 3-pointer.

PRE-SEASON LEGEND LINDY WATERS pic.twitter.com/VCITzpsCiB

– Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 6, 2024

“What a great end to a great week,” coach Steve Kerr said after the win.

Outside of Waters, shooting wasn't the Warriors' strength. Leading 53-49 at halftime, the Warriors shot 37.3 percent from the floor and just 20 percent (5 of 25) from behind the 3-point line in the first two quarters. The numbers also deteriorated as the game progressed. Overall, the Warriors shot 33.7 percent and 22.9 percent from three (11 of 48).

Steph Curry, who sat the entire second half and played a total of 14 minutes, couldn't give fans the kind of show they wanted to see. He scored nine points to lead the Warriors in the first half, but was 2 of 8 shooting and missed all four of his 3-point attempts. Curry went a perfect 5 of 5 at the free throw line.

Steph passes Harden and pours it in 😤 pic.twitter.com/ulipa3xd8L

– Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 5, 2024

MVP chants for Steph in Hawaii 🗣 pic.twitter.com/Ixn3oIFIAG

– Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 6, 2024

The Warriors are striving to become a top defensive team again, and there have been times. By halftime, the Warriors had already had nine steals and scored 20 points off 14 turnovers by the Clippers. They finished the game with 14 steals and seven blocked shots and held the Clippers to a shooting percentage of 38.5 percent and a shooting percentage of 22.9 percent.

Waters was the hero of the day, hitting five 3-pointers, including four in the fourth quarter.

“Man, call Lindy Waters,” De’Anthony Melton said. “From the jump I knew Lindy was going to make some big shots tonight. I told him I needed at least four threesomes tonight. … Lindy came out shooting and I’m proud of him.”

Kerr added: “He’s a really good shooter, but he’s more than just a shooter. He's got good size, he's not just a spot-up guy. As you saw in the last picture, he got out of trouble. So he has good shooting movement but also understands the game well. We're really excited to have him.

“We used to like him when we played against him. (Warriors general manager) Mike (Dunleavy) did a great job finding him and trading for him. He definitely has the skills to play our style.”

Here are three takeaways from an exciting first win of the Warriors' preseason.

Starting lineup

Throughout the week, Kerr gave no hint as to who would start the season opener without Andrew Wiggins as he continues to feel ill. Wiggins wore a mask and stood on the sideline during the Warriors' win on Saturday.

When the Warriors squared off on Friday and had a group that included Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green, it looked like those could be the first five on the court. Kerr then warned reporters not to assume anything, and it turns out he wasn't joking.

The starting five were Curry, Melton, Kuminga, Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis. The early results weren't great.

“Not great, but it’s preseason for everyone,” Kerr said. “We didn't really have a good rhythm at the end – the start was slow. But it’s still nice to get these five guys on stage and see what it looks like.”

They played together for the first seven minutes and were locked in a 17-12 tie before Kerr moved to the bench.

Melton scored eight points on 3-of-7 shooting in just 12 minutes.

Melton ➡ Steph ➡ M3lton pic.twitter.com/iOnP3PXYlj

– Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 5, 2024

Green, who like Curry and Melton did not play in the second half, had two points, two steals, one rebound and one assist, but also two turnovers and three fouls. Kuminga's seven rebounds led the Warriors and he also scored seven points. Jackson-Davis added four points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal, but was the only starter with a negative plus/minus (minus-2).

While Kerr has maintained that he sees Kuminga, whose plus-4 was the best among starters, as more of a power forward than a small forward, he says he will continue to try him out alongside Green and Jackson-Davis.

“Yes, we want to look into it further,” Kerr said. “Of course all three are talented players and you want to be able to play your best players together, but it has to be right. We’ll keep trying.”

Find combinations

It wasn't one or two players who came on first, but a whole new five. This second unit consisted of Podziemski, Gary Payton II, Hield, Kyle Anderson and Kevon Looney. Looney immediately blocked a shot and the group went on a 5-0 run to tie the game.

Moses Moody entered the game for the final five seconds after those five outscored the Clippers 14-6 and took a 26-23 lead after the first quarter.

“Loon comes in and does what he does right away,” Kerr said. “He just lets things happen. It’s never going to grab the headlines – setting up a screen, helping on defense – but it helps you win.”

At the start of the second half, Kerr played with Podziemski, Hield, Moody, Kuminga and Jackson-Davis. That's what this training camp, like the rest of the pre-season, was all about: finding out who fits best with whom.

“We had so many different combinations out there,” Kerr said. “I liked Gary's defensive activities, Melton and BP too. We have guys that can disrupt the offense and turn that defense into offense for us.”

Moody makes his point

The season opener was another example of how the numbers game is a difficult situation for Moody and how he can force Kerr to act. Despite missing almost the entire first quarter, Moody's trailed only Curry with eight first-half points. He finished with 12 points in 13 minutes on 4 of 9 shooting and drained two of his five 3-point attempts.

Moody practices a starting shot 🎯 pic.twitter.com/1NJ1mKswxT

– Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 6, 2024

His plus-14 was a game-high as he added four rebounds – three offensive rebounds – two steals, one assist and one block.

What made Kerr happiest was that Moody shoots without hesitation and makes quick decisions, the two areas he emphasized most for Moody's growth.

“He did a really good job in camp of getting the shot off quickly and making that priority No. 1,” Kerr said. “He's a really good shooter and he's now at the point in his career where he feels where the end point is. I think early in his career he was more hesitant. But the offense runs a lot smoother when he just catches and shoots, and I love it when he does what he’s been doing all week.”

Next up for the Warriors is a showdown in Sacramento against the Kings on Wednesday night at the Golden 1 Center.

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