Takeaways from Warriors' Win Over Bucks: Dubs Are Starting the Wrong Guard

Spearheaded by 18 three-pointers, the Golden State Warriors (20-18) beat the Milwaukee Bucks (16-21) 120-113 on Wednesday at Chase Center.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 34 points.

Stephen Curry had a team-high 31 points, while Jimmy Butler added 21 and Draymond Green chipped in with 14 points and seven assists.

Here are three takeaways from Wednesday's game.

Melton Should Start Over Moody

De'Anthony Melton entered Wednesday's game with the second-best plus-minus on the team, per Cleaning the Glass. So even if he didn't have a huge game against the Bucks, this would have been a valid argument.

Now it's even more obvious.

Melton had a season-high 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 5-of-9 from three.

Meanwhile, Moses Moody had a solid game with nine points on 3-of-7 shooting. But Melton obviously had a bigger impact.

It's clear that Steve Kerr is easing Melton into a bigger role because he missed over a year with a torn ACL. With that said, it's time to let him start.

The Warriors have easily the worst shooting percentage in first quarters this season. On the season, they are getting outscored in first quarters, and that's partially due to the lack of success from their starting unit.

The Curry-Moody-Butler-Green-Post lineup entered Wednesday with a minus-3.8 net rating. It lost its stretch in the first quarter 15-13.

Even though Melton has struggled with his shot this season, he's had a very positive impact on the team's offense. Entering the Bucks game, the Warriors were 12.7 points per 100 possessions better on offense with Melton on the floor.

Kerr should prioritize getting off to good starts, and playing Melton with the Big Three is the best way to do that.

Horford's Emergence Makes Trading for Center Less of a Priority

Al Horford had eight points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks in 19 minutes. He was a plus-seven.

He's looked healthier recently. And it feels like a sustained stretch of good play is coming.

If that's the case, the Warriors might be OK with a center rotation of Quinten Post, Horford and Green

Sure, it would be nice to add a center at the trade deadline, but it wouldn't be a neccesity if Horford plays like this.

The Warriors should be all-in on a wing upgrade. If they strike out on players like Michael Porter Jr. and Trey Murphy III, only then should they consider making a move for a center like Nic Claxton or Myles Turner.

Warriors Might Have Solved Turnover Problem

I'm hedging with "might" because it's just two games of taking care of the ball, but you can't deny how good the offense flowed against the Bucks.

The Warriors finished the game with 31 assists and just nine turnovers.

On Monday against the Clippers, they had major issues making shots, but they had only seven turnovers.

To keep up this turnover-averse stretch, it starts with Curry and Green. They each had exactly seven assists and one turnover Wednesday. On Monday, Green had 12 assists and one turnover, while Curry had six assists and one turnover.

The Warriors will have a very successful eight-game homestand if those two keep the turnovers down.