Brandin Podziemski played a key role off the bench as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Orlando Magic 120-97 on Monday at Chase Center, contributing 16 points, five assists, and four rebounds.
When asked about Draymond Green leaving the bench, Podziemski said, “No, not at all. He was a great teammate on the bench…still telling us what he sees. It helped us go on a run third, fourth quarter.”
On the team’s offensive flow with multiple players scoring in double figures, Podziemski added, “Just making the simple play to easy play…the more people that are threats to score and make plays for each other, the harder it is for the opposing defense to guard us.”
Podziemski shared insight on his mid-range game, explaining, “I love shooting a mid-range shot. Even though it’s bad analytically, I love shooting them. If you’re going to shoot them, you got to shoot at a really high clip percentage-wise…I feel really confident, really comfortable doing that.”
Regarding the Green-Kerr interaction, Podziemski said, “I wasn’t running along the baseline trying to get loose…didn’t hear or see anything. It’ll get figured out.”
On Draymond’s leadership and personality, Podziemski noted, “He is. As a leader, there are different ways to get the guys around you going…he’s won four championships doing so. We trust what he does…when he came back, he was extremely vocal and positive on the bench for the rest of us.”
Podziemski also discussed what’s been unlocked for the Warriors recently, saying, “I don’t think that’s specific to him being there or not. Whoever’s on the floor at any point, we just try to make the right play possession after possession…stack those and it usually turns out in the right favor for us as it has last three games.”
The Warriors trailed by seven in the third quarter before Stephen Curry sparked a 14-4 run, ultimately outscoring Orlando 62-40 in the second half. Curry finished with 26 points, Jimmy Butler added 21, and Moses Moody contributed 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting.
Golden State finished 52 percent from the field and forced key mistakes during the decisive stretch, while Podziemski’s plus-36 rating highlighted his impact when on the court. The win moves the Warriors to 15-15 as they prepare to host the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day.
