The Golden State Warriors had four days off after their blowout short-handed win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday. More importantly, they got healthier, with Steph Curry returning to action Friday night as the Dubs hosted a Minnesota Timberwolves team that was playing without star Anthony Edwards.
With that, the stars were aligned for the Warriors to build on their recent run of success. But the baskets were not aligned. Or at least, not aligned with where the ball was when the Warriors were shooting.
Golden State played pretty well against Minnesota, but missed wide-open shots all night in a 127-120 loss. The Dubs shot just 15 of 46 (32.6%) from three-point range, with non-Curry players shooting just 9 of 31 (29.0%). The Warriors, who have quietly become one of the best defensive teams in the NBA in recent weeks, didn’t put up a defensive effort that would carry them to victory (the fact that Draymond Green missed the game for personal reasons didn’t help) and needed a strong shooting night to be competitive. But they didn’t have a good night of filming.
Curry played very well in his return to action and did not appear physically compromised at all. He came out of the gates firing, scoring eight of the team’s first 12 points, but the Wolves initially found a rhythm and took an 18-12 lead. Golden State responded quickly with seven straight points to take the lead, but even though they did that, they missed wide open three after wide open three and trailed 28-27 after the first frame.
The second quarter was very fun and exciting, as both teams started to find some rhythm. Minnesota did it with tremendous athleticism, while Golden State accomplished its success with solid execution. It was simply high-level basketball between both teams, on both ends of the court, and neither team was able to create much separation. The Dubs got a little chaotic in the final moments and a little sloppy, while Julius Randle put on a scoring clinic with Edwards sidelined. But the Warriors finished the quarter strong and with a 63-61 lead. By the time they returned to the locker room, the teams had already exchanged leads 20 times.
They will do it seven more times in the third quarter, including right at the start of the half. Powered by a surplus of Warriors turnovers, the Wolves scored the first six points of the quarter, prompting Steve Kerr to call a timeout after just 71 seconds of action. The Warriors, despite their extended break, looked tired and fatigued, while the Timberwolves looked athletic and full of energy.
A substitution to bring Moses Moody into the game (the starting lineup was Curry, Pat Spencer, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler III and Quinten Post) was a game-changer, as the fifth-year wing brought heart, hustle and endless reserves of energy, which his teammates found contagious. Suddenly, the Warriors were flying all over the court and scored 10 consecutive points. They finished the quarter on a 12-3 run — much of it with Curry on the bench — and led 91-88 heading into the critical fourth quarter.
And then the Warriors went cold again, and at the worst possible time. They failed to find the back of the net, despite a constant stream of good looks. Meanwhile, Minnesota was catching fire and capitalizing on Golden State’s offensive futility. An 11-0 run allowed Curry back into the game, and by midway through the final quarter the Wolves had scored 17 straight points and opened a 12-point lead. Kerr called a timeout and the Chase Center was weakened.
But they got quite a response. Curry took the lid off the basket after the timeout, draining a layup and then a three, and forcing Minnesota to call a timeout in response. That timeout didn’t do much, as Golden State got a save and a three from Moody, capping a lightning-quick 8-0 run.
Neither team finished stealing the lead. Curry reached the highlight of the game with just over three minutes left, faking a pump to get Donte DiVincenzo to pass by him in one direction, then faking a pump to get Rudy Gobert to pass by him in the other direction, then calmly draining a three to cut the deficit to one point. A minute later, he put Golden State ahead with a three-and-out, which immediately allowed Moody to steal bounds and score it. It capped a 21-6 run and gave the Warriors a three-point lead with two minutes remaining.
From there, however, the execution went Minnesota’s way. DiVincenzo immediately responded with a game-tying three against his former team, then the Warriors took a one-point lead when Curry split a pair of free throws. Rudy Gobert flexed his height and length with a dunk through Post on the other end, then Post had all day to shoot a three on the ensuing possession. It turned out that he thought about it too long and finally pulled the trigger without missing. A foul by Moody on the rebound attempt gave Naz Reid a pair of free throws, which he split, giving Minny a two-point advantage with exactly one minute remaining.
It was still a good spot to be, but Curry missed a three, and DiVincenzo launched a tough three to try to get a two-for-one…and he went in, pushing the lead to five with just 27.4 seconds left. The Warriors were short on push, as they couldn’t see well on the other side, and that was that.
Overall, the Warriors played pretty well. But when you rely on jump shots, there will be nights like Friday where they just won’t go in enough to make it all work.
Curry was brilliant in his return, finishing with a game-high 39 points on 14-of-28 shooting, with five rebounds and five assists. Four other Warriors scored in double figures, but no one was much of a secondary scorer besides Curry, as Post (16), Butler (15), Spencer (12) and Moody (11) combined for 54 points, but needed 49 shots and seven free throws to get there.
Minnesota was much more balanced, with three players reaching the 20-point mark: Randle, who had 27 with nine rebounds and six assists; Gobert, who had 24 points and 14 rebounds while shooting 11 of 13 from the field; and DiVincenzo, who dropped an extremely clutch 21 points.
With Curry’s return, Will Richard was left out of the rotation, as he joined Seth Curry as guards who did not play in the game. There were questions about whether Jonathan Kuminga would play given the absences of Green and Al Horford — and how well he played against Minnesota in their 2025 playoff meeting — but he received his second straight DNP-CD.
The Warriors fell back to .500 with the loss, as they now sit at 13-13. They will next play on Sunday, when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers. Green could return for this game, and I hope the defense recovers if he does.
