"We never even talked about that combination until tonight."
That was the response from Steve Kerr after he and the Golden State Warriors stumbled across a lineup formula that could completely change their trajectory following Thursday night's heart-stopping overtime win against the Denver Nuggets.
With just under four minutes left against one of the best teams in the league, the Warriors found themselves down seven and unable to stop a rampaging Aaron Gordon on his way to a career-high 50-point night.
That's when Kerr and Golden State turned to a closing lineup featuring Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Al Horford. Just under nine minutes of game time later and the Warriors had turned that seven-point deficit into a stunning 137-131 victory, producing an early statement with their second-straight win to open the season.
Warriors may have just stumbled across their most potent lineup
The ironic aspect is that it wasn't even Kerr that came up with the idea, rather the head coach admitted in the post-game that it was assistants Terry Stotts and Chris DeMarco that were the brains behind the closing lineup.
"Terry suggested it. Chris DeMarco also suggested it. They just thought the way Steph was going, with Jimmy out there, we were going to score. That was my biggest concern -- can we execute? They just reminded me we have Steph and Jimmy and they'll find a way to score," Kerr said.
Steve Kerr closed with Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Al Horford. It’s a jumbo lineup Kerr said has never even played together in practice. Assistants Terry Stotts and Chris DeMarco suggested it late in the game. pic.twitter.com/wFvAmu6oSF
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 24, 2025
While Curry delivered astonishing shot-making on his way to another 42-point masterpiece, it was unsurprisingly the defense that stood up with a bigger lineup that found a way to trouble 3x MVP Nikola Jokic.
After scoring 116 points in the first 44 minutes and 10 seconds of the game, the Nuggets were kept to just 15 points in the final eight minutes and 50 seconds with the closing lineup on the floor. Golden State forced a miss from Jokic on a potentially game-winning attempt at the buzzer of regulation, then kept the Denver superstar to 1-of-5 shooting in overtime.
Jokic shot just 8-of-23 for the game and had only 21 points, with that going a long way to the Warriors securing victory despite Gordon's ridiculous 10-of-11 shooting from 3-point range, along with 25 points and 10 assists from star guard Jamal Murray.
It wasn't overly shocking to see the veteran quartet of Curry, Butler, Green and Horford display their savvy experience down the stretch, but Kuminga as the final piece is certainly something Kerr didn't envisage prior to the game itself.
The 23-year-old played another mature game, not necessarily standing out in the box score but playing his role in a way that Kerr and Golden State have been yearning for over recent years. Kuminga had a couple of big stops down the stretch, along with a calm eurostep layup as the Warriors gained momentum in overtime.
It might not have been a lineup Kerr had considered previously, but you can bet your life we'll see more of it in the future. It's a two-way unit that could obliterate many teams across the league, and give the Warriors a legitimate shot at title contention this season.