Player grades: Warriors vs. Bucks

Assessing every Golden State player’s performance in the team’s 104-93 win over Milwaukee.

Well, that was delightfully unexpected. The Golden State Warriors, a day after losing to the severely undermanned Denver Nuggets, turned around and beat the Milwaukee Bucks 104-93 … despite not having Steph Curry available. It was a win as impressive as it was dramatic, and it kept the Dubs in sole possession of the sixth seed, while wiping the sour taste of Monday’s loss out their mouth.

Needless to say, tonight’s grades will be a bit kinder than yesterday’s. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a “B” grade representing the average performance for each player.

Note: True-shooting percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that accounts for threes and free throws. Entering Tuesday’s games, league-average TS was 57.5%.

Jimmy Butler III

37 minutes, 24 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 turnovers, 2 fouls, 6-for-13 shooting, 1-for-4 threes, 11-for-11 free throws, 67.3% TS, +14

Playoff Jimmy. Playoff Jimmy. Playoff Jimmy.

We were all waiting for the playoffs to see him, and he showed up on a Curry-less Tuesday instead. There’s an indescribable quality that some stars have where you can tell they will go to great lengths to drag their team to victory.

Butler had that on full display Tuesday. When the Bucks came roaring back and turned a 17-point deficit into six-point lead well into the second half, Butler only looked more motivated, more determined, and more confident.

The only knock on his game was the five turnovers, but honestly, that number feels high. It didn’t feel like he had a sloppy game, and he took on a larger offensive role with Curry sidelined.

What a player.

Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points and assists, tied for the best plus/minus on the team.

Draymond Green

36 minutes, 3 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks, 2 turnovers, 5 fouls, 1-for-6 shooting, 0-for-5 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, 21.8% TS, +14

Draymond didn’t have a good offensive game. I do not care one teeny tiny bit. The defense that Green played on Giannis Antetokounmpo — and on the rest of Milwaukee’s offense while flying around the court switching assignments and provided help — prompted Steve Kerr to call Green the best defensive player he’s ever seen.

The same Steve Kerr who was teammates with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Tim Duncan. And I have no desire to disagree.

What Green did on defense was one of the most dominant performances we’ve seen from the Warriors all year long. I didn’t think I’d ever give someone a perfect grade when they shot 1-for-6 but I don’t know how else to view it. What Green did was the defensive equivalent of Curry dropping a 50-piece. There’s only one grade for that.

Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds, tied for the best plus/minus on the team.

Quinten Post

23 minutes, 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 5 fouls, 5-for-10 shooting, 4-for-9 threes, 70.0% TS, +9

The future is so bright and exciting for Post. It seems like every shot he makes comes in a critical moment, and I can’t wait to see that keep playing out as he gets better and better, and earns a bigger and bigger role.

He had a few sloppy moments, but his defense and shooting were huge in this game.

Grade: A-

Moses Moody

25 minutes, 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 fouls, 2-for-9 shooting, 1-for-5 threes, 2-for-2 free throws, 35.4% TS, 0 +/-

Moody was Draymond Lite in this game. Didn’t offer much on offense, and put up a poor shooting line. And was one of the stars of the game because of his sensational defense.

He drew the opening assignment on Damian Lillard, who shot just 6-for-18 from the field and never looked at all comfortable or in a rhythm. One of the best defensive games I’ve seen from Moody.

Grade: A

Brandin Podziemski

29 minutes, 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 6-for-10 shooting, 4-for-7 threes, 1-for-2 free throws, 78.1% TS, +3

Podziemski returned after a handful of games on the sidelines, and jumped right back into the starting lineup, taking on a huge role with Curry out.

His defense? Awesome. His playmaking? Strong. His scoring? Excellent.

And best of all? With the game slipping away, Podz made two threes in the final minutes to put the game away. Brilliant.

Grade: A

Gui Santos

8 minutes, 3 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 1 foul, 1-for-1 shooting, 1-for-1 threes, 150.0% TS, -6

Some good and bad for Santos. I really liked the defense he played when briefly matched up with Antetokounmpo, and he had a huge three to give the Warriors the lead after they fell behind for the first time all night.

But he also had some lapses, and his turnovers were really rough. He’s been having a hard time with those lately.

Grade: C+

Jonathan Kuminga

24 minutes, 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 4 fouls, 2-for-10 shooting, 0-for-2 threes, 6-for-6 free throws, 39.6% TS, -11

Let’s start with the fact that it was fantastic to see Kuminga make all six of his free throws. And the ease with which he ripped through the defense and got to the rim was fantastic.

But it was an all-around rough game for him. He struggled to finish at the rim, often playing for contact that either never came, or was never whistled for. He was one of the few players on the Warriors who didn’t have a standout defensive game, and he had a few tough turnovers.

He’s still working his way back into form after a long absence though, so a little grace is necessary.

Grade: C
Post-game bonus: Worst plus/minus on the team.

Buddy Hield

24 minutes, 15 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, 5-for-7 shooting, 4-for-6 threes, 1-for-1 free throws, 100.8% TS, +11

Monday was a very bad Buddy Hield game. Tuesday was a very good Buddy Hield game. And that’s the Buddy Hield experience.

Hield had some of the biggest shots in the game, including a pull-up transition three inside the final minute of the third quarter, which sparked a 16-0 run that completely changed the game. With Hield it’s all about maximizing the impact of his good games, and minimizing the damage of his bad ones.

Grade: A

Gary Payton II

17 minutes, 8 points, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 foul, 3-for-7 shooting, 2-for-5 threes, 57.1% TS, +7

Masked Payton just keeps doing his thing. Apparently he’s a three-point shooter now, and I probably don’t need to tell you how good his defense was.

Grade: B+

Kevon Looney

6 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 2 blocks, 1 foul, 0-for-1 shooting, 0.0% TS, 0 +/-

Not a big role for Looney in this game. Milwaukee plays a little too fast, and Post was having too good of a game, sopping up most of the available center minutes. But Looney did make his presence felt on defense in his short stint.

Grade: B

Pat Spencer

6 minutes, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1-for-2 shooting, 50.0% TS, +7

With Curry out, and the Dubs tired on a back-to-back, Spencer got a chunk of minutes in the second quarter. He played really well on both sides of the court, making smart plays and effort plays all over.

Grade: B+

Trayce Jackson-Davis

4 minutes, 1 point, 1 rebound, 1 foul, 0-for-1 shooting, 1-for-2 free throws, 26.6% TS, +7

TJD got a few rotation minutes, and that was great to see. It didn’t go super well, though, as he looked a little overmatched.

Grade: C

Tuesday’s inactives: Taran Armstrong, Steph Curry, Braxton Key, Jackson Rowe