When the results of Stephen Curry’s knee reevaluation came in on Thursday — indicating he’d miss at least the next five games — wins suddenly felt elusive, with the Golden State Warriors scheduled to face the Boston Celtics (37–19) and Denver Nuggets (36–22) coming out of the All-Star break.
To make matters worse, Golden State took on a getting-healthy Denver team — one that had just hung 157 on Portland the night before — while missing Draymond Green (late scratch, lower back soreness) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness), leaving Steve Kerr with just nine healthy bodies..
The offensive unsteadiness has been the story of the season so far, but when it’s clicked — even without Curry — Golden State has looked hard to stop and Sunday's win over the Nuggets was another testament to that and the team's upside.
The break also provided a much-needed breather for players that are slated to play keys role going forward, especially with the injury bug that's been ravaging the Warriors.
121–110 loss to the Boston Celtics
What worked
The season-long struggle to find offensive consistency was on full display against the Celtics last Thursday.
The Warriors were sharp out of the gate and down the stretch — an already satisfying feat for this group against Boston’s seventh-ranked defense. Golden State shot 54% from the field and 13-of-29 from three while dishing out 17 assists to just one turnover in the first and fourth quarters combined — an effort negated by two abysmal middle quarters.
Even without Curry — and while averaging 15.6 turnovers without him this season — the Warriors kept the ball in check. They coughed it up just eight times while piling up 30 assists.
If we’ve learned one thing about Golden State’s style of play without its superstar, it’s that the scoring is done by committee.
On Thursday night, eight players reached double figures, including Kristaps Porzingis, who scored 12 points in 17 minutes in his Warriors debut. Will Richard scored 17 off the bench, Gui Santos added 17, Brandin Podziemski posted 11 points with seven rebounds and six assists, De’Anthony Melton poured in 18 as a starter, Gary Payton II stayed hot with 14 (and was a +15), and Moses Moody chipped in 11.
What didn't
As mentioned above, the middle quarters told the story for Golden State: the Warriors shot 35% from the field, hit just seven threes on 26 attempts, and turned the ball over seven times in the second and third quarters combined, reiterating the ice cold offensive stretches that remain their biggest flaw.
Those types of mid-game lulls might fly against tanking teams, but not when facing contenders like Boston, and the Warriors learned that the hard way when they found themselves in a 34-point hole midway through the third — a steep hill to climb for an offense already short on firepower.
However, sometimes in this league you also have to give the opponent credit for how they played. The Celtics, led by Jaylen Brown’s 23-point, 15-rebound, 13-assist triple-double, pieced together an almost perfect offensive game.
They shot 51.6% from the field, knocked down 17 threes, and turned it over just 13 times while piling up 36 assists — a new season high. Despite ranking just 26th in paint points (44.8 per game), Boston still hung 58 in the paint on the Warriors, largely due to Golden State’s big men struggling all night.
Draymond Green finished scoreless on seven shots and posted a team-worst –28. His pairing with Porzingis was a defensive disaster, highlighted by a 188.9 defensive rating in the four minutes they shared the floor together.
Al Horford also couldn’t find a rhythm in his first meeting against his former team. The 2024 NBA champion ended with five points, eight rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes.
128–117 win over the Denver Nuggets
What worked
Long story short: it was probably the Warriors’ best win of the season.
Beating a Denver team that got Christian Braun and Cam Johnson back — and had just hung 157 on Portland the game before — without any of your four best players in Curry, Jimmy Butler, Green and Porzingis is remarkable.
Brandin Podziemski was the story of the game, finishing with 18 points, 15 rebounds (a career high), and nine assists (tied for his career high).
Despite a slow start — he shot 1-of-10 through three quarters — the third-year guard found a way to bounce back in the fourth. His 15-point, eight-rebound quarter marked just the eighth time in the play-by-play era (1997–98) that a reserve has reached those numbers in a single quarter, doing it in the fourth makes it even exceptional.
He also became the first Warriors player to record 18+ points and 15+ rebounds off the bench since Corey Maggette in January 2009.
But Podziemski was far from alone, as seven players finished in double figures. Al Horford set a new personal season high with 22 points, adding seven assists and five stocks. De’Anthony Melton recorded his fifth 20-point game of the season, Moses Moody contributed an efficient 23 points, and Gui Santos chipped in 17 points, five rebounds and seven assists, while Will Richard and Gary Payton II added 11 and 15 respectively.
The offense hummed in the fourth quarter where the Warriors outscored the Nuggets 33–16. Golden State shot 68% from the field, hit six threes, and recorded 10 assists (42 for the game, a new season high) while holding the Nuggets — the NBA’s best offense — to just 31.8% shooting.
What didn't
There wasn't much the Warriors, just like arguably every teams in the league, could do to stop Nikola Jokic. The three-time MVP recorded an absurd 32-point, 20-rebound and 12-assist triple double. The fact that Golden State managed to get away with the win despite such a performance is even more impressive.
Something the Warriors can address is their massive shooting slumps. After two disjointed quarters against Boston on Thursday, Golden State disappeared again on Sunday afternoon — this time in the third. It was basically a no-show: they missed 14 straight threes, shot 8-of-27 overall, scored just 19 points, and lost the quarter by 15, squandering their halftime lead in the process.
Player of the Week:
Without much surprise, it's obviously Brandin Podziemski. He's been great coming out of the break, averaging 14.5 points, 11 rebounds and 7.5 assists against two legitimate contenders.
Next up
The Warriors will take on the Pelicans and Grizzlies on a back-to-back Tuesday and Wednesday before hosting the Lakers on Saturday afternoon.
After Steve Kerr said before Sunday’s game that Porzingis was pretty sick and couldn’t even make it to the arena, the Warriors announced that the veteran center is expected to miss at least two more games and therefore won't join the team on the upcoming road trip.
Draymond Green, who was ruled out minutes before tipoff Sunday after his back tightened up during warmups, has made the trip.