Curry returns as Warriors beat Wizards with wire-to-wire performance

WASHINGTON D.C. — Steph Curry returned after missing three games with a left ankle sprain, but the Warriors didn’t need to fully unleash him to discard the Wizards.

Curry opened the scoring with a 27-footer in the first minute of the game, giving the Warriors a lead they’d never relinquish. In his first game back from a left ankle sprain, Curry logged 24 minute and six assists in 24 minutes. He was on a minutes restriction, and the Warriors tweaked his substitution pattern so he could both start and finish the game.

“I feel good,” Curry said postgame. “It’s just still early in the year, you’re trying to build up the endurance. My ankle feels fine. It’s just, you don’t want to be in a position where you get fatigued and put yourself in jeopardy. This was a good stepping stone.”

The Warriors (6-1) never trailed in a 125-112 victory over the Wizards, who are expected to be among the worst teams in the league. Buddy Hield scored 20 points for a fourth straight game and Draymond Green pitched in 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists as six Warriors scored double figures. Former Warriors Jordan Poole led the Wizards with 24 points.

Especially in the first half, the Warriors didn’t let the Wizards off the hook for being undisciplined.

On one play, Poole gambled on a standard chest pass, giving Gary Payton II a free lane to the rim, which he used to feed Trayce Jackson-Davis for a dunk. Right before that, Curry missed a contested left-handed floater, only to pick up a loose ball after two bounces under the hoop, setting up another Jackson-Davis jam.

Often because of a lack of attention to detail or a lack of hustle, the Wizards allowed the Warriors to grab 11 offensive rebounds in the first half.

The Warriors didn’t play close to their A-game, either. Jordan Poole stripped Brandin Podziemski for a fast-break slam and later pick-sixed a poor cross-court pass from Gary Payton II. The Warriors shot just 32.4% from 23 and missed nine free throws.

But they didn’t need their A-game in the Capital One Arena.

Poole and Curry swapped 3-pointers in the waning seconds of the first half, with Curry beating the buzzer to give Golden State a 54-45 advantage.

Curry played the first six minutes of the game and then the last six minutes of the second quarter. He didn’t start the second half, emerging from the tunnel one minute into the third quarter and stretching at the scorer’s table. He played the final seven minutes of the third quarter and finished the game.

As Curry sat to begin the third quarter, Brandin Podziemski exited the game and didn’t return because he was dizzy and lightheaded. That left Golden State without a point guard momentarily. Even still, their double-digit lead held steady.

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Green hit a pair of 3-pointers, and although the Wizards did a better job finishing possessions with defensive rebounds, they couldn’t get enough stops to make up significant ground.

“They never quit,” Green said postgame. “We were in control of the game the whole game, but at no point did they quit. At no point did we feel it was easy.”

Curry drilled a wide-open corner 3 to push the Warriors’ lead to 73-57 halfway through the third. He threw a fist pump after getting an and-1 floater to go through contact from Johnny Davis. In his seven third-quarter minutes, Curry poured in 15 points.

As Curry sat to start the fourth quarter, the Wizards cut Golden State’s lead to five. But Steve Kerr resisted going back to Curry before he had to, and the mostly bench units regained their footing. Hield converted his second and-1 with a backdoor cut and slam, pushing Golden State’s advantage back to 11 halfway through the period.

When Curry subbed back in for the last five minutes, Golden State led by nine. It wasn’t quite a save situation, but the Warriors brought in their closer anyway.

The offense instantly opened up. Kyle Anderson flew in for a poster dunk. Green sank his third triple. Then Green found Jackson-Davis for an alley-oop. In 90 seconds with Curry back on the floor, the Warriors stretched their lead from nine to 14. They shut down the Wizards with defensive-oriented lineups to ice the game.

Curry said he expects to play more minutes going forward, and the Warriors are going to need that. The rest of their road trip features games agains the Celtics, Cavaliers and Thunder — arguably the best three teams in the league. When they get home, Western Conference contenders Dallas and Memphis await.

The Warriors have built a strong foundation by banking wins against teams they should beat. They’ve done so often convincingly, and have made good on many of their training camp promises.

How sustainable their strides are against tougher competition will be tested soon — first in a hostile environment at TD Garden.

“Obviously, we love the start,” Kerr said. “To go 6-1, that exceeds our expectations. But we also know that our schedule has been kind to us. We’ve played some teams that have been injured, we’ve played some young teams. So, it’s about to get a lot harder.”