Newcomers to the G League bubble, Warriors Jordan Poole and Nico Mannion played a few valuable minutes in Thursday’s 120-98 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
After playing with the G League competition for weeks and leaving Orlando, Florida as the second highest scorer with 22.4 points per game, Poole set the NBA record with 26 points out of 10 out of 16 shots in 26 minutes.
Before Poole left the Golden State for the G League, Steve Kerr wished the second-year guard would be more aggressive. Poole scored 13 of his points in a second quarter that featured some unpleasant moves.
Poole also took command in the fourth quarter, as the game was out of control, hitting seven shots at eight Warriors possessions at one point in the final stretch.
Nico Mannion started his first NBA game in place of Steph Curry at rest and played 31 minutes. The rookie in the second round scored nine points out of 3 out of 10, including 3 out of 5 in the 3 point range. Mannion made six assists, but also had five turns.
Mannion clearly approached this competition with a pass-through mentality, while showing some legal defense activities by recording theft and protecting Chris Paul. Mannion’s minutes will shrink dramatically, but he performed well on a night when the Warriors were without Curry, Draymond Green and Kelly Oubre Jr.
Don’t be surprised if Poole and Mannion push Brad Wanamaker for minutes in the second half of the season.
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