James Wiseman impressive in leading Warriors to exhibition opener win in Tokyo
TOKYO -- Golden State center James Wiseman, coming back after sitting out more than a year with an injured knee, scored 20 points and grabbed 9 rebounds to lead the Warriors to a 96-87 win over Washington Friday in an exhibition season opener played in Tokyo.
Wiseman played nearly 24 minutes in the contest as head coach Steve Kerr wanted to get his young center into the flow of playing on court again.
Klay Thompson sat out the game. Kerr announced before the game that the Warriors will be cautious with their star guard. He returned in January after missing 2 ½ seasons with a torn ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals, followed by a ruptured Achilles.
Thompson is not expected to play in either of the games in Tokyo.
Draymond Green and Steph Curry both played just 13 minutes. Green scored 4 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and doled out 2 assists.
Meanwhile, Curry hit on 1-of-7 shots and added 3 free throws for 6 points, had 3 rebounds and doled out 2 assists.
Star forward Andrew Wiggins added 5 points and 6 rebounds in 16 minutes of action and Jordan Poole scored 5 points and pulled down 5 rebounds in 19 minutes of play.
While the exhibition season is a warmup for the veterans on the defending champions roster, they are important minutes for the younger players.
Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody -- both heading into their second season -- are expected to play major roles this year. Kuminga scored 6 points and pulled down 3 rebounds. Moody added 7 points and an assist.
The team's top draft picks this year -- Ryan Rollins and Patrick Baldwin Jr. -- also had some impressive moments. Rollins played 11:30 minutes, scoring 8 points and grabbing 4 rebounds. Baldwin Jr. -- coming back from an ankle injury -- was limited to 8 minutes, hitting on 1-of-3 from 3-point range and scoring 7 points.
By the third quarter, the teams were deep into their benches and gave reserves extended time in the game.
Both teams showed some early turnovers, errant passes and shot under 33% in the first half. Both teams ended the game shooting under 37%.