Amid the NBA’s 75th anniversary season in 2021-22, only three franchises have been part of “The Association” for all 75 years — the Celtics, the Knicks, and the Warriors.
But when the Warriors and Celtics face off on Friday night, the Warriors will have something new in store for Boston. Rookie guard Moses Moody will earn his first career start. He gets the nod in place of G Jordan Poole, who won’t play in the game due to Covid-19 protocols.
This will be a massive leap in competition for Moody, the No. 14 overall pick in the NBA Draft out of the University of Arkansas. But coach Steve Kerr has a history of turning to his bench, even to little-used players, to fill a temporary need, no matter how large it is.
Plus, he likes Moody’s size in this game, according to Anthony Slater’s above tweet. Moody stands 6-foot-5 and counts shooting as one of his major strengths. Watch for this post to be updated with news about how Moody did in his first-ever NBA start, against a storied franchise to boot.
The Warriors beat Boston 111-107 after amassing a large lead early on and outlasting the Celtics. Moody had just two points on 1-6 shooting in 10 minutes. He was in the mix a lot early in the game and missed a couple of open 3-pointers, but he showed moxie, diving on the floor for a loose basketball after he had missed a couple shots.
It was a win-win for Kerr. Moody got his feet wet playing front-line minutes, and the Warriors still won the game. Plus, Golden State’s victory broke a five-game losing streak to Boston. Kerr’s bunch will next play on Saturday against the Raptors, where some Warriors stars, such as G Stephen Curry, may sit out and get some rest.
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