Steve Kerr wisely starts Andre Iguodala in Warriors' win over Hawks

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After what he described as one of his worst games as Warriors coach in a loss to the Pistons on Saturday in Detroit, Steve Kerr had a few issues to resolve before arriving in Atlanta on Monday to face the Hawks.

Two of those decisions were choosing his fourth and fifth starters. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson were automatic selections. The absence of Damian Jones made Kevon Looney a fairly logical call as the fourth.

Who, though, would be chosen as the other forward? The obvious options were Jonas Jerebko (who started in Detroit) and Andre Iguodala, who started the previous game Wednesday in Toronto.

Kerr chose Iguodala. It was the right call given the team’s needs against the Hawks.

In the category of numbers that don’t matter, Iguodala scored two points on 1-of-3 shooting. In the category of numbers that matter, he had five assists, two blocks, two rebounds, one steal and was plus-18 over 22 minutes.

The Warriors won by 17, 128-111.

Looney was the choice at center because he has been the most consistent big man on the roster, and has been particularly solid on defense. Iguodala was the other choice because he’s the only player on the roster whose skills are suited to routinely performing duties similar to those generally assigned to Draymond Green.

“It’s a good combination of skill and brains,” Kerr said. “Looney and Andre are brilliant basketball minds, and when you put them with the three scorers that we have, a lot of good things can come from that. I thought Looney was fantastic tonight, and Andre always knows what’s happening on the floor and finds the right person or makes the right cut, so it’s a good group for us.”

Iguodala greases the offense with his perceptive ball movement on one end, while being a disruptive presence on defense. Though he can be unselfish to a fault, he’s the guy Kerr tends to summon when the coach wants to restore sanity on the court.

The Warriors forced nine Atlanta turnovers in the first quarter, leading to 13 points. They were up 34-17 after one and weren’t really threatened after that.

“Our defense set the tone tonight, and that’s the part where you get in transition and get some easy looks,” Curry said. “Everyone starts touching the ball and you get into a flow, which obviously requires a lot of unselfishness.”

Jerebko started against the Pistons because he provided a fourth shooting threat and is a proficient rebounder. He can stretch the floor, creating more room for Durant, Thompson and Curry, who was returning after an 11-game absence. Jerebko also was needed to help battle enormous Detroit center Andre Drummond, the league’s No. 1 rebounder.

Though the reasoning behind starting Jerebko was sound, it didn’t produce the desired results. The spacing wasn’t as good as Kerr had hoped, and Drummond still gobbled 19 rebounds — seven more than the entire Warriors starting front line.

So Kerr went to his security blanket. Maybe we should say “blankets,” as Looney is developing a reputation similar to that of Iguodala.

“Looney was great and Andre as well, making plays off the pick-and-roll,” Thompson said. “Looney had a career-high (14 points), knocking down jumpers and finishing at the rim and just making the right play.

“Andre just gives us a great veteran presence on both ends of the court, but it was just fun to get a win.”

Sure, it was only the Hawks, who have lost 19 of 24 games this season. But the Warriors have had enough injuries and turmoil -- as well as nine losses -- to know they’re in no position to overlook any team.

Kerr, however, wanted to be sure. So he made the choice most likely to result in a comfortable victory, which is precisely what he got.

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