Poole praises Steph, Klay for veteran leadership from bench

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The Warriors are red-hot and continue to find a new way to win night in and night out. 

A barebones Golden State squad without Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, Otto Porter Jr., Andre Iguodala and Nemanja Bjelica somehow, someway, found a way to erase a 17-point deficit and beat the San Antonio Spurs 124-120 on the road at AT&T Center on Tuesday night. 

Led by third-year guard Jordan Poole, who scored 31 points in the win, the Warriors were able to overcome such a deficit thanks to the veteran leadership off the bench from guys like Curry and Thompson. 

Rookie guard Moses Moody broke out for 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and 6-of-10 from 3-point range, while the other rookie, Jonathan Kuminga, chipped in 19 points in 28 minutes. 

After the game, Poole revealed that Curry was in his ear all game long, helping the young guard navigate the floor as the leader on the court. 

"It shows what our character is like," Poole told reporters after the game. "Coming from the top of the food chain all the way down, everybody is excited for each other, wants to see everybody succeed. Steph [Curry] was just talking to me the entire game, the entire game just giving out any piece of advice, personally and as a team.

"Not only to me, other guys as well ... Klay [Thompson] was excited, the group chat was blowing up a little bit, everybody was in the group chat. It's just amazing to have the camaraderie and chemistry that we have, but it's not only basketball, the off-the-court relationships and the character that we have throughout the locker room."

Poole broke out early in the season in a starting role prior to Thompson's long-awaited return to the court, only to revert back to the bench in early January. 

RELATED: Draymond approved of Warriors' comeback win over Spurs

Since then, the 22-year-old has continued to produce at a high level, seeing minutes equivalent to the time he saw as a starter. 

If Golden State is to compete for their fourth NBA Championship in eight seasons, it will require continued support for the Warriors' young stars from veterans up and down the roster. 

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