SAN FRANCISCO — With 2:27 left in the first half Saturday night, as Jonathan Kuminga lay on his stomach under the basket after an awkward fall after trying to block a shot, the Chase Center fell silent with worry and Andrew Wiggins stood nearby and watched helplessly.

An alarm began to ring in Wiggins’ ears.

With 1:02 left in the half, the alarm sounded at full siren. Deafening.

What started with the sight of Kuminga lying on his back on the floor got significantly worse 85 seconds later when Memphis guard Desmond Bane rammed Wiggins, knocking him to the ground – and was whistled for a blocking foul when Bane’s shot went 1: 02 to go through the net in half.

Weight rooooom 💪@DBane0625 | @FDSN_Grizzlies pic.twitter.com/M2fuVwP4tm

— Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) January 5, 2025

Wiggins heard the alarm. The Warriors and Grizzlies spent the first half duking it out in their mediocrity, but no one on Golden State’s roster needed the wake-up call more.

Wiggins’ reaction was evident as he stepped up in the second half, and it was emphatic enough to send the Warriors on their way to a 121-113 victory and their first consecutive wins in six weeks.

After sleeping through the first half with a field goal and neither a rebound nor an assist, Wiggins went after the Grizzlies like they had insulted his family, dropping a floater 12 seconds into the third quarter. He followed with a 3-pointer 64 seconds later and another jumper two possessions later.

“That bump,” Wiggins said of the Bane game. “It woke me up.”

A total of eight points in the first two and a half minutes of the second half, 10 more in the next seven minutes, totaling 18 during his 10-minute stint in the quarter.

“Wiggs just took over in that third quarter when JK was down – he was 1 of 6 at halftime – when we really needed him the most,” coach Steve Kerr said.

Wiggins, who finished the game with 24 points, energized a Golden State offense that was desperate, especially without Kuminga, who hobbled to the locker room immediately after getting up, being diagnosed with a sprained right ankle. There was no immediate prognosis, but Kerr hinted he will miss some time.

“It won’t be an everyday affair,” Kerr said. “It was a significant sprain.”

Kuminga’s absence, be it for one half this evening or for many games to come, is primarily a signal for Wiggins. Kuminga is the team’s second-leading scorer behind Stephen Curry. Wiggins is No. 3, half a point per game behind Kuminga.

In order for the Warriors to generate enough offense to win games – especially with Curry dealing with lingering pain in both knees and the possibility that Kuminga will be sidelined – Wiggins will need to increase his aggressiveness.

Take flight, Wiggs‼️

pic.twitter.com/dH2SsNNWOz

– Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 5, 2025

He can’t be the guy who has lost offensive relevance in recent games, averaging 9.5 points on 16 of 43 shooting from the field (37.2 percent), including 4 of 18 (22.2 percent) from beyond the arc Distance, achieved.

Kerr also pointed out that the play with Bane was the cause of Wiggins’ revival.

“The play of Desmond Bane when he ran through him at the end of the half,” Kerr said. “That made Wiggs angry. So he came out ready to go in the third round.”

With his driving dunk with 1:07 left that gave the Warriors a 119-109 lead, Wiggins was responsible for bringing the Warriors to a level enough to put the Grizzlies to sleep for the night.

It was as if the sight of Kuminga hobbling away woke the guy who needed an awakening in this game and beyond.

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