Warriors rookie James Wiseman benched for first three quarters after missing COVID-19 testing

Golden State Warriors rookie James Wiseman was benched for the first three quarters Thursday against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing mandatory COVID-19 testing during the All-Star break. He played the entire fourth, scoring 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds in the Warriors' 130-104 loss.

"I made a huge mistake and I most definitely will not do that again," said Wiseman, a 19-year-old who was the overall No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft. "I made sure I apologized to coach. I was mad so I had to make sure I just went out there and played hard."

Wiseman wasn’t allowed to practice a day earlier because of the missed testing.

"You’ve got to take care of your business. Everything matters," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "He responded exactly as I had hoped he would. He competed with energy and that bodes well."

Stephen Curry said the players discussed Wiseman’s mistake, although the punishment was Kerr’s decision.

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"There are learning curves for everybody in this league," Curry said. "The quicker you learn those things and just make it about basketball, the better."