The absence of Stephen Curry is supposed to give young players at the Golden State Warriors extra opportunity to step up and show their value, yet it was anything but as they were blown out 129-104 in their NBA Cup opener against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on Friday night.
Warriors fans were instead left disappointed and roasting the display from the team's most highly credentialed young pieces, with Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski combining for just 15 points on 29 shots during Friday's defeat.
Warriors youngsters fell incredibly flat in Denver on Friday
Golden State quickly fell behind by double digits in the first period, and while they pulled within one following a 10-0 run to start the second, that was immediately answered by Denver who extended their lead back to 17 despite 3x MVP Nikola Jokic being on the bench.
The game was essentially over from that point, with the Warriors unable to mount much of a challenge without their superstar guard. The offense was lifeless with Curry sidelined by illness, signified by the struggles of Kuminga, Moody and Podziemski.
Kuminga had six points, seven rebounds and three assists on 3-of-10 shooting in his worst performance of an otherwise positive start to the season, while Moody followed his season-high 28-points with just two points on 1-of-9 shooting -- that one made field-goal didn't come till the fourth-quarter.
Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Brandin Podziemski tonight, combined: 15 points, 7-of-29 FG, 1-of-12 3PT.
— Marc Grandi (@MarcGrandi) November 8, 2025
Without Steph Curry, I don't think the Warriors would beat any NBA teams with that performance from those three.
The young core of Podziemski, Kuminga and Moody are a combined 1-13 for two points, and its not like they're making up for it with stellar defense.
— Joseph Dycus (@joseph_dycus) November 8, 2025
Golden State had nothing go offensively aside from some Draymond Green 3-pointers which the hosts were happy to live with. The veteran forward had five threes to finish with a team-high 17 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Jimmy Butler had 16 points in a relatively quiet performance upon his return.
There were very few positives for the visitors who were dominated from the opening whistle, but perhaps Quinten Post's 14 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the floor could be taken as one. Rookie guard Will Richard also continued to show signs of promise following his breakout 30-point game on Wednesday, going for another 12 points and three rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.
The Warriors were not only without Curry, but also veteran center Al Horford who was ruled out in the hours before the game, leaving Green, Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis to battle Jokic. The superstar center was unsurprisingly dominant, posting 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in just 28 minutes as he sat the entire fourth-quarter.
Golden State will be desperate for Curry to return as they look to address their current slide, having now lost five of their past six games ahead of another meeting with the Indiana Pacers at Chase Center on Sunday.