Warriors' Moses Moody praised for his stellar defense against Knicks

With Andrew Wiggins taking an indefinite leave of absence, a spot has opened up in the Warriors' starting lineup. Over the past two games, Moses Moody -- as one of Golden State's starting forwards --has been playing like a man ready to seize his opportunity. First, against the Wizards on Tuesday, Moody made four of his seven threes, grabbed two steals and played solid defense on his former teammate, Jordan Poole, during various stretches of the game.

Then, on Thursday, Moody was tasked with guarding a 28-point per game scorer in Jalen Brunson, a daunting task for anyone, let alone a 21-year-old such as himself. Moody was up for the challenge as he stole the ball from Brunson in the very first minute of the game to set the momentum for Golden State, who outscored New York 31-19 in the first quarter.

Throughout the game, Moody played stifling defense on Brunson and New York's other guards with his 6-foot-5 frame and 7-foot wingspan. With Moody leading Golden State in plus/minus (+ 23), the Knicks were held to just 99 points in their own backyard of Madison Square Garden.

After Golden State's 110-99 win, coach Steve Kerr and veteran guard Chris Paul showered praise upon Moody for excelling at his job on the defensive end.

"I thought Moses really stood out tonight," Kerr said. "His defense on Brunson... I thought he did a great job of defending him without fouling. Jalen is so crafty and can get to anywhere on the floor, but Moses did a great job [by] forcing him into tough shots. That was the key. You don't want to have a smaller defender on Brunson because he's so strong and can bully you in the paint.”