The Golden State Warriors are simply unstoppable in the 2024 preseason. With Steph Curry and Draymond Green sitting and Andrew Wiggins still on the rise, the Dubs continued the preseason shootout with a 111-93 win over the Detroit Pistons that wasn’t quite as close as the final score.

The Warriors made 46% of their threes and had 31 assists in a classic Strength In Numbers win. The Dubs started Brandin Podziemski and De’Anthony Melton and Moses Moody in the backfield, making his second straight start. The Dubs built a 14-point lead in the first quarter and went into halftime with a 19-point lead.

Somehow, Klay Thompson’s absence has turned the Warriors into an unstoppable three-point shooting team. The Warriors went 6-7 from deep in the first quarter, with summer additions Melton, Buddy Hield and Lindy Waters III opening the game with a combined 5-5 mark.

It’s still not clear how Steve Kerr’s rotations will play out, but the Melton-Podziemski combination looked great on Sunday night. This could be an indication that the first few minutes of the second and fourth quarters, which have often been an offensive desert for Golden State over the last two seasons, could produce some solid points.

Especially when Buddy Hield is on the field. In four preseason games, he is now 13 of 22 from three-point range. Again, it’s just the preseason that doesn’t officially matter, but Hield is averaging 12.3 points per game in under 17 minutes per game. He shoots 58% from the field and 59% from behind the arc, and his minutes total is +25.

Even when Steve Kerr cleared the bench in the fourth quarter and used a total of 17 players in the win, the Warriors still had six players in double figures at the end. Moody led the way with 14 points, again a top effort for a player who saw limited minutes in the first three seasons of his career. Trayce Jackson-Davis had a game-high 10 rebounds in a game-high 27 minutes, along with three blocks and three assists. One of those blocks led directly to a Podz three-pointer on the other end that effectively ended the competitive portion of the game late in the second quarter.

The team-best plus/minus went to Waters, who posted a sparkling +22 in his 17 minutes. He shot 3-for-4 from distance, but the impressive tally was his seven rebounds. For a team that will be significantly undersized next season, having rebounding guards like the 6-foot-2 Waters, Podziemski and Curry, all of whom rebound above their weight class, will be extremely important. The quick release of his three-point shot is also reminiscent of a certain bulldog and ocean-loving Warriors shooting guard.

In the fourth quarter, the Chase Center crowd got a preview of the Santa Cruz Warriors’ lineup this season, with rookies Reece Beekman (2 points, 3 assists and a steal) and Quinten Post (a three-pointer as well as two fouls and two turnovers). ). ) get playing time. Their other two-way player, Pat Spencer, had two points and an assist, while future Sea Dubs power forward star Jackson Rowe went 2-for-2 and posted a +8 in a solid five minutes of play.

The Pistons hired some veterans this summer after coaching and general manager changes, but they still basically can’t shoot. Because they played their supposedly normal starting lineup, only Jaden Ivey scored three points (3 of 5) and the team went 7 of 29 overall.

Preseason games don’t matter much, but it’s telling that Kerr gave so many minutes to young players. Podz, Moody, TJD and Jonathan Kuminga played a combined 95 minutes, joining Melton in four of the best minutes overall. Again, it’s preseason, but Kuminga’s 10-for-18 from three-point range is a positive sign, especially when it comes to his ability to get minutes at small forward, what with every friendly game that Wiggins plays in sits, is becoming more and more likely.

The Warriors moved to 4-0 in the preseason after the win, and their next game is Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers in Las Vegas, home of LeBron James’ future expansion franchise. But while the preseason doesn’t Really It’s important to note that the last time Golden State went undefeated in the preseason, they won the NBA title.

In other words, it’s up to Lindy Waters III, Buddy Hield and Kyle “Slow-Mo” Anderson (a solid +21 as of Sunday night) to keep the Warriors juggernaut rolling and prepare them for a fifth title of the Curry era. The championship push continues on Tuesday evening.