Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos has set a new career high in the midst of a personal-best 2025-26 season. With an incredibly tight play-in race in the Western Conference, the Warriors faced a must-win game against the Brooklyn Nets, and Santos once again rose to the occasion, proving how important he has become to the team with each passing game.
The 23-year-old Brazilian scored a career-high 31 points, helping the Warriors secure their second straight win for the second time in 2026, and their first without Steph Curry in the lineup, in a 109-106 victory over the Nets on Wednesday night at Chase Center. This came just two days after a 137-131 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Santos did everything he could, apart from his scoring, he also contributed across the board with seven assists while shooting an efficient 11-of-16 from the field and 4-of-6 from the three-point line, along with making five of eight free throws. He also added two steals and one block.
Santos’ 2023 draft mate Brandin Podziemski, who hopes to become the face of the franchise once Curry’s retirement, scored 22 points. Despite being a regular starter, Podziemski has struggled to live up to the high expectations from his first two seasons. He has yet to record his first 30-point game in his professional career. His season-high this year is 26 points, while his career best remains 29 points from last year.
While the competition between Santos and Podziemski remains high, fans always have something interesting to say, and Wednesday was no different.
“Gui Santos 30-ball before Podz 😭😭😭,” one fan said.
“I’m crying, Gui got a 30 point game before Podz. That guy is never gonna tweet again,” another fan wrote.
“Send Podz to the G league,” another added.
“Another warrior player getting 30 before Podz who’s next let me guess Gary Payton 😭💀” fourth fan joked.
“Podz the only player to play well in wins and still get slandered lol,” another fan said.
While Gui Santos did spend much of his time in the G League, his game has grown since becoming a full-time role with the team this year. He signed a three-year, $15 million contract extension last month and has become a valuable part of the Warriors’ group.
Gui Santos gets high praise from Steve Kerr
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was highly complimentary of Gui Santos’ performance on Wednesday night. Speaking after the 109–106 win over the Brooklyn Nets, Kerr said:
“It’s fun to see Gui really blossom. I think he’s just feeling like he knows he’s going to get a lot of minutes, and that I have faith in him. He’s got a lot of confidence in himself.”
Since signing his contract extension, Santos is averaging 14.3 points per game. There is no question that he has been making a significant impact for the Warriors as they push for a play-in spot. Golden State will now be hoping that the Brazilian can continue to shine during the final stretch of the regular season.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
