3 takeaways from Warriors’ buzzer-beater win in preseason opener vs. Clippers

After a week of training camp practices full of new set plays and terminology, the Warriors put their progress to the test.

Golden State won the first half — the one in which the starters played — 53 to 49. They ran in transition like they’ve been talking about while trialing different lineup combinations. Both teams struggled from behind the 3-point arc, but the Warriors’ defense was slightly more tuned than that of the Clippers while they played at full-strength.

“I see the identity of this team forming after a week,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters postgame, via The San Francisco Chronicle. “We can feel that we’ve got a chance to be much more impactful defensively than we have been the last couple years. If we can play off of our defense, get out and run…that’s a good formula.”

Golden State scored 22 fast-break points and forced 21 turnovers, although many of each happened with the reserves in.

When the game was on the line, both teams had their non-rostered and two-way players on the court. For the Warriors, that meant rookie center Quinten Post had the ball in his hands, which didn’t work out. Post committed two turnovers while Golden State trailed by a point.

Then, after two failed inbounds plays, Lindy Waters III canned the walk-off 3 as time expired, lifting the Warriors to a 91-90 win in the Stan Sheriff Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Waters hit five 3s, scored a game-high 15 points and was first greeted by a chest-bump from Steph Curry after his game-winner.

Now the Warriors are heading back to the mainland after a week in Hawaii. Here are three takeaways from the Golden State victory.

The starting look

Steve Kerr cautioned reporters not to read too much into lineup combinations, particularly the starters, in the preseason. He said the starting-five in the first preseason game probably won’t be the same as the regular season opener.

But… it might be.

Golden State went with Steph Curry, De’Anthony Melton, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis against Los Angeles. With Andrew Wiggins (illness) out, Kuminga was practically a lock. Melton, a defensive ace with a history of 3-point accuracy, should pair well in the back court with Curry.

The Warriors want to play a center — likely Jackson-Davis — next to Green. The question then becomes how viable Kuminga, a career 34.1%, low-volume 3-point shooter, fits next to them.

Kuminga believes he’s a small forward. It’s the position he’s played his entire life. How well he shoots it from deep could determine how often he plays the position or revert back to a power forward — the spot Kerr considers him best at.

“We’ve got to see,” Kerr told reporters pregame in Honolulu. “Because last year, we didn’t feel comfortable going that route. We would love to play Draymond at the four, Trayce gives us a shot-blocker next to him. We want to play JK. And if he’s ready for the 3, and it works with those guys, then we’ll see. Then we’ll adapt. Now’s the time to try these things and see which combinations work and which ones don’t.”

Kerr gave the group a seven-minute audition to begin the game. Green and Jackson-Davis looked especially strong defensively, forcing turnovers and affecting shots at the rim. The unit also displayed terrific athleticism, getting out on the break several times — a Kuminga dunk and a Jackson-Davis alley-oop were highlights — which is a point of emphasis for the Warriors.

Golden State fell behind early with the starting-five, but went on a 9-0 run fueled by defense and running. The spacing wasn’t great, and the lack of Brandin Podziemski’s playmaking was felt, but the starters generally held their own.

How much can Moody prove in the preseason?

As expected, Moody was the 11th man to play for the Warriors. That means with Wiggins back in the fold, he’s the 12th man. No coach likes to go 12 deep.

That means, once again, Moody is headed for rotational purgatory — through no fault of his own.

When Moody checked in, he instantly made an impact. He blocked a shot then cut backdoor for a dunk off a nice feed from Kuminga in the post. Then he swiped a steal and got fouled on the other end. Moments later, he drilled a pull-up 3 and then a catch-and-shoot triple from the corner. In eight Moody minutes, the Warriors won by 11.

Moody got to the line to open the second half then hit a pull-up jumper, getting his defender to stumble on a drive in isolation. That gave him 12 points in as many minutes. He hunted his 3-point shot and got it off quickly — a priority for him this offseason — and forced a steal that led to a runout.

Moody finished with 12 points in 13 minutes and was a game-high +14. He shot 4-for-9 and added two steals, a block and four rebounds.

Who’s going to get to the rim?

The Warriors did a platoon substitution, putting Brandin Podziemski, Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield, Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney on the floor after the starters.

That group might not see the floor all together for the entire year. But it begs the question: When Curry and Kuminga are off the floor, who is going to put pressure on the rim in the half court?

After a pair of Anderson free throws, the Warriors took five straight 3-pointers. None of them were horrible looks, but there wasn’t a lot of paint touches.

Golden State had no problem getting shots at the rim in transition, but the half court was a different story. Twelve of the team’s first 20 field goal attempts came from behind the arc. Maybe some of the new sets and more structure the team has been working on will help that.

Kerr has said the Warriors want to be a high-volume 3-point shooting team. But there’s always a balance to strike.