The Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies never disappoint. Their matchups are always fiery, packed with drama and hard hits. Saturday’s clash at the Chase Center was no different. The game had it all—physicality, intensity, and a plot twist. A bump woke up Andrew Wiggins, and the rest was history. That moment flipped the script, leaving even Steve Kerr nodding in approval.

Andrew Wiggins had a quiet first half, scoring just two points and going 1-for-6 from the field. A physical bump from Memphis Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane late in the half, which drew a blocking foul, seemed to light a fire. Post-intermission, Wiggins came out swinging, dropping 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Calm on the surface but lethal in execution, the 2022 champion turned the tide and carried the Warriors to a crucial win.

In the post-game presser, Steve Kerr pinpointed what sparked Wiggins’ second-half surge. The 59-year-old head coach stated: “The Desmond Bane play when he ran through him at the end of the half that made Wiggs mad. So yeah. So he came out ready to go on the third.” Just to remind you, the Warriors were playing without their main man, Stephen Curry. The team rested him due to “tendonitis,” while Brandin Podziemski and Gary Payton II also sat out. Therefore, someone had to take the reins.

Besides, Jonathan Kuminga who managed to score only 13 points left the floor with an ankle sprain on Saturday. Thus Draymond Green revealed that Bane truly did wake Andrew Wiggins or “the sleeping giant.” Looking ahead, the Warriors veteran emphasized wanting this aggressive Wiggins to stay.

Meanwhile, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr weren’t the only ones in approval of Andrew Wiggins’ flash moment against the Grizzlies. The hooper himself and one of his teammates also agree to the fact, that the bump was all it took for the 29-year-old to turn into a new version of himself.

Desmond Bane’s bump truly shook Andrew Wiggins to play his finest game

Wiggs had a cheeky smile on his face during the post-game presser. The 2014-15 Rookie of the Year remarked how the bump in the first half became a turning point for him in the game. Andrew Wiggins said: “I feel like that bump definitely, you know just woke me up a little bit. You know, it is a physical game. He made the play, bump me hard…pretty hard. So I think that definitely got me going.” The 6-foot-7 forward was truly “mad” after the odd instance on the court, hence the transformation.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors power forward, Kyle Anderson also shared his input on the Desmond Bane-Andrew Wiggins moment. “Kyle, could you tell that Desmond’s bump to Wiggs kind of got him going a little bit?” the reporters asked the hoopster.

He replied: “Got who going? Wiggs? Yeah, yeah. You know, we got some really good teammates over there. They were getting- they were talking to Wiggs like ‘Come on we need you to get going.’ You know Wiggs answered the call. But definitely, Des running into him and getting one-on-one. I think Wiggs kind of woke up after that.”