On Monday, the Golden State Warriors avenged their humiliating loss to the San Antonio Spurs with a 112-102 win. However, a heated argument between veteran forward Andrew Wiggins and rookie guard Brandin Podziemski soured the road win. The Warriors are finally looking like a team that can make it to playoffs this season, but an altercation between their own player is the last thing any fan would want at this crucial stage in the regular season.
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With Stephen Curry out due to an ankle injury, Jonathan Kuminga took over the scoring mantle and dropped 22 points. Chris Paul had a vintage outing, scoring 19 points, dishing eight assists, and grabbing nine rebounds to help the Warriors secure the victory. They took control of proceedings in the second quarter and eased their way to a win.
Midway through the second quarter, Jonathan Kuminga‘s excellent defense on Spurs’ rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama caused a turnover, which the Warriors looked to exploit with a fast break. Wiggins and Podziemski had an open path to the basket, but the veteran inexplicably slowed down and gave guard Malaki Branham an opportunity to steal the ball. The sophomore guard almost caught Wiggins off-guard, but the veteran sensed the danger and managed to draw a foul.
While Wiggins redeemed the situation, Podziemski wasn’t pleased with the veteran forward slowing down and not passing the ball. Per NBA social media’s most reliable lipreader, LegendZ, the rookie yelled at him, saying, “Come on, Wiggs! Come one!” An indignant Wiggins snapped back and said,
“The f**k you talking about, n***a?”
Wiggins’ ire prompted Podziemski to walk away and calm himself to de-escalate the situation. Both players had good outings, with the forward scoring 16 points, and the guard contributing 14 off the bench. However, the argument between the two became the game’s talking point rather than the Warriors’ collective effort to win without Curry.
NBA fans split about Andrew Wiggins and Brandin Podziemski’s skirmish
Fans on social media were quick to react to Andrew Wiggins and Brandin Podziemksi’s on-court argument in the Warriors’ win over the Spurs. While some argued in the veteran forward’s favor, others claimed the rookie guard was correct in calling his teammate out for almost messing up an easy fast break.
One fan claimed there’s no guarantee that Podziemski would bank an easy layup.
The comment referred to the rookie guard’s missed layup in the dying seconds of the Warriors’ home loss to the Chicago Bulls last week.
Another said Wiggins reminded Podziemski that he’s the veteran on the roster and the rookie should be more respectful towards him.
One opined that Wiggins was upset about Podziemski playing more minutes than him, and his outburst was due to jealousy.
Regardless, two teammates arguing on the court is never a good sight. As Draymond Green revealed, Podziemski isn’t afraid to call out the veterans on the roster, but Wiggins wasn’t about to let a rookie call him out during a game. Both players will argue they were right, and there’s no objective answer to who was at fault for the argument.
