Warriors guard wants ‘slander’ to end after ‘playoff JP’ shows up

SAN FRANCISCO — Jordan Poole has seen the tweets and words written about his up-and-down fourth NBA season. He’s heard the dialogue on his sometimes lackluster defense on sports talk radio shows and podcasts.

Poole kept the receipts of his detractors and pulled them out after one of his biggest games of the season Friday night.

Poole wants the “extra slander” to end after he embodied “playoff JP” in the Warriors’ 120-112 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Poole exploded for 19 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to propel Golden State to its third straight win. He was playing within the flow of the game, scoring at all three levels and taking what the defense gave him. As a result, he shot 10 of 19 from the field and 6 of 11 from beyond the arc while also making seven of his team-high-tying eight free throw attempts.

“It felt like a JP performance from last postseason where he’s really attacking and shooting the ball with confidence,” coach Steve Kerr said Saturday after practice. “We stayed with him [in the fourth] because he was so effective and competed defensively.”

That last part is key. At times this season, Poole’s focus on the defensive end has wavered. But with the stakes increasing with each game as the regular season winds down and the Western Conference playoff picture still in balance, Poole is dialing up his aggressiveness on that end a notch in hopes to help the Warriors avoid the dreaded play-in tournament.

“When you like living up to those moments and playing in the big moments, you rise to the occasion,” Poole said. “When we’re locked in how we were in that fourth quarter, we’re a really special team and hard as hell.”