Dub Hub: Moses Moody credits consistent playing time for making the game ‘easier’

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Monday, February 4th.

In today’s Dub Hub:

• Moses Moody credits getting consistent playing time for making the game “easier” following the Warriors’ 104-99 victory over the Magic.
• Draymond Green discusses the calf injury that forced him to miss seven games.
• Luka Doncic shares his initial reaction on his trade to the Lakers during his introductory press conference.

The Golden State Warriors held off a late surge from the Orlando Magic on Monday night, securing the 104-99 victory in a roller coaster of a game at the Chase Center. After a dominant 39-point third quarter put the Warriors ahead 82-67, the Magic clawed their way back into contention in the fourth, setting up a tense finish.

With the game hanging in the balance, fourth-year wing player Moses Moody delivered the dagger, burying a clutch corner three-pointer to extend Golden State’s lead to five with a little over a minute to go.

Moody’s strong play off the bench continued as he finished the night with 17 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting from the field in 24 minutes. His expanded role as a small-ball power forward has created more opportunities for him in Steve Kerr’s rotation while also allowing him to capitalize on mismatches at both ends of the floor. The results speak for themselves—he has now scored in double figures in nine of his last 10 games, averaging 12.8 points while shooting 49.4% from the field and an impressive 44.1% from three during that span.

After the game, Moody credited consistent playing time for his recent surge in production.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Tuesday, February 4th:

Warriors News:

What Kerr believes has sparked Moody’s recent offensive surge | NBC Sports Bay Area

After the game, coach Steve Kerr offered a simple explanation for Moody’s recent scoring surge.

“It’s just confidence,” Kerr told reporters. “He’s getting consistent minutes, and he’s making the most of them. He has the occasional night when shots don’t go in, and it doesn’t bother him because he knows he’s coming right back the next game.

“I think the consistency is helping him, and I thought he hit the biggest shot of the game tonight, that corner three. Really fun to see Moses play well and continue to play well.”

Draymond Green gives an update on his calf injury

Tons of NBA Trade Deadline Latest | The Stein Line

While the Warriors continue to be ambitious in the extreme with their exploration of possible trades for the likes of Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler, league sources say Golden State has also examined the prospect of acquiring New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram.

Although Ingram did not have great success under Warriors coach Steve Kerr during their late summer run together at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, we’ve been told not to discount the possibility that the Warriors could pursue the one-time former All-Star playing out his current contract on an expiring $36 million salary if Golden State cannot land one of its higher-profile targets.

Siegel’s Scoop: Latest on Warriors’ Kevin Durant pursuit, trade deadline intel | Clutch Points

Outside of showing their usual interest in LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Warriors have also held conversations with the Phoenix Suns about just how available Kevin Durant is, sources first confirmed to ClutchPoints. Since then, many other reports have surfaced regarding the Dubs’ interest in Durant.

Although the Suns kept things brief, swiftly turning down any speculation that Durant is available before the trade deadline, Phoenix has suddenly become a key talking point in league circles.

Steph Curry and the Warriors Face an “Almost Impossible Situation” | The Ringer

Last month, the Warriors blew an 18-point lead to the Kings, marking their sixth loss in nine outings. Curry produced a paltry 14 points on 11 shots, as double-teams swarmed throughout the second half. An hour after the game, Curry faced yet another barrage of questions from reporters about what went wrong and where the team is headed. Following the session, he buried his head into his iPhone, which displayed a handwritten note on its lock screen.

“You are going to figure it out,” it read. “You always do.”

NBA News:

‘Unfathomable’: How this stunning Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade came together | ESPN

Even the Utah Jazz, the third team that facilitated the transaction by collecting two second-round picks for absorbing Jalen Hood-Schifino, didn’t know Doncic and Davis were a part of the deal until about an hour before it was completed, league sources said. Even Jazz president Danny Ainge, who hails from the Lakers’ hated rival, the Boston Celtics, had about only 30 minutes notice, sources said, that Los Angeles was about to acquire Doncic to be the new face of its franchise.

But by then it was too late to do much about it. NBA history was about to be altered.

Luka Dončić FULL Lakers Introductory Press Conference

Anthony Davis shares his initial thoughts on the trade to Dallas

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Report: Warriors want to bring LeBron and KD to San Francisco

So Warriors fans, you can stop dreaming about Durant and LeBron having a Team USA reunion on the Warriors, and you can start imagining the Chase Center erupting in cheers of “Vooooooch!” after Nikola Vucevic sinks a three to cut the Warriors’ fourth-quarter deficit to 15 points.

Follow @unstoppablebaby on Twitter for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.