Warriors' Jordan Bell does the little things to bounce back vs. Nets

Share

OAKLAND -- Jordan Bell was critical of himself late Thursday night, as he should have been. He’d been given his first start of the season, replacing Draymond Green, but he bungled it badly in a 23-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

But 48 hours and a dramatic turnaround later, Bell was back to being the jokester he can be when times are good.

He wasn’t brilliant in a 116-100 victory over the Brooklyn Nets Saturday at Oracle Arena, but he was solid enough to redeem himself coming off the bench.

“I’m not going to make excuses,” Bell said. “I just played poorly last game. No matter who we play, I’ve got to pick it up. I wasn’t myself. I didn’t bring any energy to the team.”

Bell on Thursday: four points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block and four fouls -- including two in the first five minutes. He had virtually zero presence.

Bell on Saturday: five points, a team-high eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Two fouls, total, both in the second half with the Warriors in command.

“Last game, I was a little rattled just because I got the start and I got Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and I’d never played against him before,” Bell said. “I was very eager.

“Today, we had played against this team already. We played pretty well as a team last time. So I tried to do the same thing.”

The biggest difference in Bell was his engagement. Whereas he seemed scattered and unfocused on Thursday, committing silly fouls and drifting out of sets, he was much more in tune with his teammates on Saturday.

“Jordan was active, made some nice plays, like dribble handoffs,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He was just making the simple play.”

Bell’s increased intensity showed. He clogged lanes and played solid man-to-man defense. He sprinted the floor with purpose. If he plays like this on a regular basis, regardless of statistics, he’ll see more floor time.

“After you get punched in the mouth like that,” he said, referring to Thursday, “you want to come back with a lot of aggression and a lot of energy.”

[POOLE: Warriors' Quinn Cook can hold it down during Steph Curry's groin injury]

[MORE WARRIORS: Stephen Curry 'feeling better' but return to Warriors not imminent]

Contact Us