Who was the Warrior Wonder in the loss to the Hornets?

Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

D-Lo balled out in limited minutes, but Paschall showed his outside shooting touch is only getting better

The Golden State Warriors were trailing 71-70 against the Charlotte Hornets with 5:42 to go in the third quarter... before being blasted by a 35-21 run that sealed the game in Charlotte’s favor.

And yet, there were still valuables to glean from the wreckage, especially considering D’Angelo Russell’s performance in the first half. Russell is the only healthy player on this team who has that rare microwave ability; he can heat up at moment’s notice.

D-Lo’s statline of 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, 3-of-8 from downtown, in only 25 minutes? A cool gulp of water for a Warriors squad that has thirsted for the Splash Bros’ timely offense all season. As Russell works back from his hand injury, those minutes will increase, and give the Warriors a better opportunity to steal games going forward.

Rookie Eric Paschall played a healthy 36 minutes in the loss, scoring 16 points on 13 shots and snagging 6 rebounds. His three-point stroke continues to prove legit, as he went 2-of-3 from beyond the arc last night. He’s now shooting 31.5% from deep . in his first 22 games as a pro, and 40% over the last 10 games.

The moment that most impressed me from Paschall’s evening was a nifty eurostep that demonstrated both his aggressive scorer’s mentality and creative footwork.

This guy is already a weapon, but can you imagine his ceiling when he gets more experience under his belt? WATCH OUT NOW!

The best player off of the bench last night was definitely Alec Burks. The crafty veteran scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field (2-of-3 from three-point range). He also added 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.

He has been a strong offseason addition, the steady kind of wing the Warriors have been searching for as they cycled through the Patrick McCaw-Nick Young-Alfonzo McKinnie’s of the world.