NBA highlights on Dec. 1: Warriors lose in Curry's return

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After a 23-day absence from the court, Stephen Curry returned on Saturday in the Golden State Warriors game against the Detroit Pistons, where the Warriors lost 102-111 to the Motor City.

Underperforming bench players hurt Warriors

Warriors' bench players struggled to contribute in their loss to the Pistons. /VCG Photo

With the team's three star players – Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson – all scoring over 20 points, the Warriors should have won, but didn't because, again, their bench players failed to do their job. Cutting the first-five from the team's 11-person-roster for the game, Golden State did not see any of their back players drop double digits and, in fact, their highest score was only four points.

On the other hand, everyone pitched in to help the Pistons take the victory. The team's center Andre Drummond put down 16 points and 19 rebounds, including eight offensive rebounds in the first three quarters. Meanwhile, Blake Griffin scored 26 points, six rebounds and five assists. The dangerous inside combination destroyed the Warriors in the paint.

Andre Drummond (L) and Blake Griffin (R) dominate the paint to help the Pistons defeat the Warriors 111-102. /VCG Photo

In his first game after recovering from injury, Curry put down 27 points, five rebounds, and three assists, but had seven turnovers. His three out of nine three-pointers was hardly satisfactory. The good news was that head coach Steve Kerr did not limit Curry's time on the court, meaning that health is no longer a problem for Curry.

The game on Saturday is the second stop in Golden State's five-game road trip. The team will then meet the Atlanta Hawks, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Bucks. They still have two games against weaker teams to help Curry find his rhythm again, before challenging the Bucks, a team that handed them a 23-point loss three weeks ago. Another piece of good news is, Draymond Green will return for the game against the Bucks.

Hayward helps Celtics win third straight game with season-high 30 points

Gordon Hayward puts down season-high 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to help the Boston Celtics beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 118-109. /VCG Photo

The Boston Celtics put an end to the Minnesota timberwolves' four-game win streak by beating them 118-109 at the Target Center. Gordon Hayward played his best game since he joined the Celtics with 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. His performance also proved that head coach Brad Stevens made the right choice in having Hayward start from the bench.

Hayward accepted a four-year 128-million-U.S.-dollar contract from Boston in 2017, becoming the highest-paid player on the team. However, since he returned from a terrible injury this season, he seemed unable to play up to his salary. It's true there are reasons for that. For example, Hayward was playing as the team's first power forward, which means that he had to confront players who are apparently bigger than him. Moreover, the horrible injury last season might have left a shadow in his mind, making him unwilling to penetrate into the restricted area and shoot too many tough three-pointers.

As Hayward gets better, head coach Brad Stevens needs to help others find their role in the franchise and play more like a team. /VCG Photo

Since Boston lost 86-98 to the Charlotte Hornets on November 17, coach Stevens decided to remove Hayward from the starting lineup and let him lead the bench. Such arrangements started to work gradually as Hayward could handle the ball longer and more freely when he was playing with the bench players. Meanwhile, he began to attack the rim more often. These changes led to eight assists and 10 free throws made by Hayward in Saturday's game.

One victory won't relieve Wizards of their troubles

The Washington Wizards (red) defeat the Brooklyn Nets (black) 102-88. /VCG Photo

Though the Washington Wizards beat the Brooklyn Nets 102-88 at home, ending their two straight losses, the team's problems remained unsolved. The team's management on November 19 announced that every player was negotiable for trade.

One of those problems was Washington's No.1 player John Wall. ESPN's Bobby Marks on Friday reported the market was not looking good for a trade for the 28-year-old point guard. According to Marks, nearly no team is interested in Wall. He prepared two questions about Wall's trade value for the teams' general managers: 1. If Wall becomes a free agent in 2019 summer, are you willing to offer him a four-year 171-million-dollar contract? 2. Is Wall's contract valuable for trade in the off-season?

According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, nearly no team are interested in getting John Wall. /VCG Photo

The answers Marks received were "no." One team executive even told Marks that Wall's contract is the toughest he has ever seen a team try to send away in 20 years. From July 1, 2019, Wall's "supermax" contract will come into effect and pay him an average annual salary of 42.75 million dollars, higher than what Stephen Curry will receive. Though it is possible to trade Wall with his current contract, multiple GMs with enough space on their payrolls still did not want to take a risk on him.

Since he entered the NBA in 2010, Wall has already played over eight seasons and he still could not improve his shooting. Meanwhile, his career average play time is 35.9 minutes, which is long enough to put him in danger of an injury, especially for a guard who relies a lot on speed. More importantly, Wall's reputation as a locker room problem in recent years has made people question his leadership.

Wall's lack of shooting range, injury risk and locker room problems have made his "supermax" contract unwanted. /VCG Photo

Next summer, over 40 percent of the league's players will become (restricted) free agents. Therefore, teams are trying to keep or even expand their payroll space to chase available targets.

Other games on Saturday included: (away teams come first)

Milwaukee Bucks 134-136 New York Knicks

Toronto Raptors 106-95 Cleveland Cavaliers

Chicago Bulls 105-121 Houston Rockets

Indiana Pacers 110-111 Sacramento Kings