Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Jordan Poole Reacts to Loose Ball Scrap with Juan Toscano-Anderson
Diving for a loose ball late in the third quarter, Jordan Poole and Juan Toscoano-Anderson met at half court.
While this was a common occurrence for the two during Warriors practice last year, this was the first time as opponents.
On a special night as both received their championship rings after winning an NBA title together against the Boston Celtics, Tuesday night came as the first time Toscano-Anderson met Golden State as a non-member of the team — now a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Poole reflected on the moment shared with his former teammate.
"It was good to see Juan today," Poole said after the game. "We've been so competitive since day one. That's my brother. So just to be able to go back to our practice days, the days that we had at open gym. He's a scrappy player."
Toscano-Anderson, who signed a 1-year, $1.9 million contract with the Lakers this offseason served as a role player for the Warriors last season. He earned chunks of playing time during the regular season while Golden State dealt with injuries to players like Draymond Green. He also earned the respect of players on the team, including Poole.
Initially, the incident appeared to be turning toward the intense side of things until the two smiled at each other on the floor wresting for the ball. The pair even helped each other up as the laughed their way to center court for a jump ball.
"He goes 100 percent all the time and I know that," Poole said. "Just diving on a loose ball, I knew he wouldn't let the ball go. He had a better grip on the ball than I did. it was just really cool to kind of be in that moment and it was a little bit nostalgic. I'm going to try to win the jump ball next time."
Poole would get the last laugh, despite losing the jump ball to Toscano-Anderson, as the Warriors waltzed out of Chase Center with a 123-109 win over Los Angeles to open the season.
