Chris Paul steadies Warriors in return, keys win off bench - ESPN

WASHINGTON — Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul pointed twice during a possession late in the third quarter of Tuesday's win over the Washington Wizards, directing his teammates where to go.

In response, Klay Thompson slowly walked to the left side of the 3-point arc while Jonathan Kuminga quickly came in to set a screen. As the defenders came off the screen, they both stuck with Thompson on the perimeter, leaving a wide-open lane for Kuminga.

Paul lobbed the ball up for the third-year forward, who completed the alley-oop.

«That's what Chris does,» Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. «He gets you organized, he gets you good looks. All season long, he's been such a high performer. All of our best lineups, it seems like he's in [them].»

In his first game back after missing the past 21 with a left-hand fracture that required surgery to repair, Paul provided the Warriors with more of a steadying presence in their second unit.

It's not that their bench has been unstable over the past month — quite the contrary as the Warriors have put together their most cohesive stretch of basketball this season. But his return gives that group a reliable and veteran ball handler and playmaker.

In his 22 minutes, Paul finished with 9 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals and a plus-17 net rating.

«It just felt really nice to get out there and play again,» Paul said. «It's tough. It's been a grind. This is my fifth hand surgery so I'm probably just more grateful to all of the people who helped me get back to the court.»

Kerr pinpointed the way the Warriors closed the third quarter — finishing the last five minutes on a 16-4 run, topped off by Paul's alley-oop to Kuminga.

«He's always in control of the game,» Kerr said. «We just handle