The Golden State Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 91-90 in their preseason opener at Stan Sheriff Center in Hawaii, thanks to a game-winning basket by Lindy Waters III at the buzzer.
Waters, who the Warriors acquired in a trade in June, had an outstanding second half and finished it off with a specatacular three-pointer that turned the game on its head right before the buzzer.
In the Warriors’ one-point triumph, Lindy Waters III made five three-pointers.Only Waters scored more than double digits for his club, as he went 5-for-7 from outside the arc to lead Golden State in scoring (15 points). The Warriors shot 22.9% from beyond the arc overall. Waters, a former Oklahoma City Thunder and renowned three-point shooting specialist, played for little more than fifteen minutes in the second half but immediately began to press for additional playing time with the team’s starting lineup.
Steve Kerr made use of all nineteen players at his disposal, starting a reshuffled starting five without Andrew Wiggins—Stephen Curry, De’Anthony Melton, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green, and Trayce Jackson-Davis.Moses Moody, who entered Saturday as the team’s eleventh man, was the most interesting player for Golden State in the first three quarters and proved he deserves a more permanent spot in the rotation. A 22-year-old who shot 2-for-5 from beyond the arc and 4-for-9 from the field, the player scored 12 points, including a corner catch-and-shoot triple and another difficult-to-convert three off the dribble.
Despite just 13 minutes of action, Moody had a significant effect thanks to his four rebounds and two steals in addition to his scoring. In the one-point victory, the former fourteenth overall choice was a plus-14, while no other Warrior was plus-5.
Melton, making his preseason debut with the Warriors, was as spectacular, starting next to Curry in the backcourt. In his 12-minute game, the 26-year-old scored eight points, grabbed two rebounds, and added an assist and steal. He shot 2-for-5 from beyond the arc, and he showed no resemblance to the back issue that kept him out of action for 38 games last season with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Outside of Waters, Moody, and Melton, the Warriors shot just 2-of-31 from outside the arc, exhibiting a clumsy offensive performance. Buddy Hield made his first three-point try in the first quarter and went 2-for-7, Brandin Podziemski shot 1-for-9, and Curry made 2-for-8 in his fourteen minutes on the court.
While the Warriors only managed a 33.7% field-goal percentage, they were able to outscore the Clippers by 20 points thanks to 19 offensive rebounds. The Warriors will get back to California from their trip to Hawaii on Tuesday, and on Wednesday they’ll host the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center.