Warriors Fall to Timberwolves in a Game of Missed Moments and Rotational Questions
SAN FRANCISCO - In the NBA, there are nights when you do a lot of things right - shoot well, get contributions across the board, even get a vintage Steph Curry performance - and still walk away with a loss. That’s exactly what happened to the Golden State Warriors in their 127-120 defeat to a Minnesota Timberwolves squad missing Anthony Edwards.
The Warriors got 39 points from Curry in his first game back, saw solid minutes from a number of contributors, and still couldn’t close the deal. Because when the game hung in the balance, it was Minnesota that made the plays. Golden State didn’t.
A 17-0 Run That Changed Everything
The defining stretch came in the fourth quarter, when Minnesota ripped off a 17-0 run from the 10:26 mark to 5:50 left. The Warriors missed nine straight shots during that span.
Rudy Gobert took over the paint - grabbing everything off the glass and finishing lobs like it was a solo workout. He piled up 12 of his 24 points and six of his 14 rebounds in that final frame alone.
That run flipped the script. And while Curry’s shotmaking eventually pulled the Warriors back into it - they even took a brief lead late - the damage had been done.
Golden State was playing catch-up, and Minnesota’s execution down the stretch sealed it. Donte DiVincenzo hit two massive threes in the final minute, including the dagger that put the Wolves up five with under 30 seconds to play.
Quinten Post’s Missed Three Wasn’t The Moment - But It Was A Moment
With just over a minute to go, Quinten Post found himself wide open in the corner with a chance to put the Warriors ahead. He lined it up, had time to set his feet, and missed.
That shot doesn’t tell the whole story, but it captures the theme of the night: the Wolves converted their chances when it mattered. The Warriors didn’t.
Post finished with 16 points and six boards - a solid night by most measures. But in a league where the margins are razor-thin, one missed shot can become the moment everyone remembers.
“We just got to capitalize,” De’Anthony Melton said postgame. “We lost the rebounding battle by two, which is not the end of the world, but, I mean, it's a game of possessions.”
Curry and Spencer: A Backcourt Combo Worth Watching
One of the more intriguing developments from the night was the pairing of Curry with Pat Spencer, who got the starting nod. Spencer, on a two-way contract, brought a steadiness to the offense that allowed Curry to play off the ball more - something Steve Kerr has long wanted to lean into.
Spencer’s ability to initiate the offense gave the Warriors a different look. The ball moved, the offense had flow, and Curry was able to find space coming off screens, rather than having to create everything himself. After the game, Curry drew a comparison to a familiar face from his early days.
“It’s reminiscent, for me, like Jarrett Jack back in the day,” Curry said. “A guy that can just handle the ball… With full confidence, he can initiate the offense. I can get some off-ball actions, and he knows how to move the ball.”
Asked De’Anthony Melton how the Dubs balance the good takeaways from this game with the end result being a loss:
— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) December 13, 2025
“We just got to capitalize. We lost the rebounding battle by two, which is not the worst thing in the world but I mean, it’s a game of possessions.” pic.twitter.com/mhQAm74udA
That said, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Spencer struggled to hit open threes, and his size - listed at 6'2" - became a factor against Minnesota’s bigger backcourt. Kerr ultimately went with Melton in the closing lineup, underscoring what’s likely to be an ongoing theme: Spencer’s minutes will hinge on his ability to knock down open looks.
Still, the Curry-Spencer pairing showed enough to be considered a viable option moving forward - especially for a team still searching for lineup combinations that click.
Too Many Options, Not Enough Continuity
The Warriors didn’t play poorly. In fact, most players who saw the floor gave solid minutes.
But that might be part of the problem. Golden State has a lot of options - maybe too many - and not enough consistency.
Kerr went 11-deep in this game, trying to find something that worked as Minnesota went on its fourth-quarter run. During that 17-0 stretch, he made six substitutions in five minutes. That’s a lot of moving parts for a team still trying to find its identity.
The contrast was clear. Minnesota, even without Edwards, leaned on continuity.
Guys like Gobert, Julius Randle, Naz Reid, DiVincenzo, and Jaden McDaniels know how to play together. The Warriors?
Still figuring that part out.
That lack of cohesion shows up in the small moments - a missed rotation here, a mistimed cut there. Even when the ball is moving and shots are falling, it can feel like the Warriors are stitching things together on the fly.
And that brings up a looming question: what happens when Draymond Green and Al Horford return? Kerr will have to trim the rotation.
Jonathan Kuminga, Seth Curry, and Will Richard didn’t play at all in this one. Once the veterans are back, minutes will be even harder to come by.
The Clock Is Ticking
This isn’t panic time - not yet. But we’re 25 games into the season, and the Warriors are still juggling combinations, still learning how to close, still searching for the right mix. That’s a tough place to be in a Western Conference that isn’t going to wait for anyone to figure it out.
Golden State has the talent. They’ve got the championship DNA. But they’ll need to start turning possibilities into production - and soon - if they want to stay in the playoff hunt.
Because in a league where it all comes down to a handful of possessions, the teams that make the right plays at the right time are the ones that survive. On this night, that team was Minnesota.