Golden State Warriors (33-35) beat Washington Wizards (16-51) 125-117 on the road on Monday, March 16.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Warriors struck first, taking the opening quarter 34-23 and a 11-point lead after one. The Wizards cut into the deficit with a 34-30 second quarter, though the Warriors still led by 7 at halftime.
The Warriors won the third 34-29 to create some separation, taking a 12-point lead into the fourth. The Wizards took the fourth 31-27; the Warriors held on for a 125-117 regulation win.
What decided it
The Warriors took better care of the ball, turning it over on 14.4% of possessions compared with 20.4% for the Wizards. The Warriors grabbed 34.1% of their own misses, while the Wizards recovered 25%. Those extra possessions were crucial.
The Wizards did win one battle, shooting: eFG% of 59.6% against 55.5%. The Warriors made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 104 possessions per team, the Warriors produced 120.7 points per 100 possessions to 113 for the Wizards.
The Warriors' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 65-46.
Who made the difference
Kristaps Porzingis was the game's biggest individual force for GSW: 30 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 3 blk on 8-13 shooting. His Game Score of 28.7 led everyone. His team was +7 with him on the floor.
Bilal Coulibaly led the Wizards with 21 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast on 7-10 shooting, good for a 19.4 Game Score.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 65% for the Warriors.
Across the last 2 meetings in our records, Golden State Warriors lead 2-0.
The Warriors are now 33-35, and the Wizards are 16-51. The Warriors last five before this game: L-L-L-L-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.