MINNEAPOLIS - Steph Curry didn’t just score Wednesday night. He chased down loose balls like the season was hanging on every possession, then buried the Timberwolves with shot after shot.
That was the story at Target Center, where Golden State shook off an 0-3 start and picked up its second straight win, 119-114. Curry finished with 44 points, his first 30-point game of the season, and his impact went well beyond the box score.
One sequence in the third quarter captured the whole night. With 8:02 left and the Warriors ahead by 23, the ball was flying toward the baseline.
Curry, 38 years old and still carrying a Hall of Fame résumé, sprinted after it, dove to try to save it and slid out of bounds. The effort didn’t keep the possession alive, but it had teammates and coaches clustered around him before he popped right back up.
He was doing damage long before that, and after it too.
Curry sparked a second-quarter burst in which he scored 12 straight Warriors points, drilling three 3-pointers and adding a high-arcing floater over a two-minute stretch. That surge helped Golden State build a 64-48 halftime lead. The Warriors pushed the margin as high as 23 before Minnesota started clawing back.
Even late, when the Wolves kept trimming the lead, Curry answered. With Golden State up 10 and three minutes left, he hit a scoop layup and then found a streaking Yaxel Lendeborg for an emphatic dunk. Minnesota got within four with 30 seconds remaining, but the Warriors survived the final push.
Curry turned it over on the next possession, but De’Anthony Melton saved the moment by blocking Jaden McDaniels’ layup off the glass. McDaniels then missed two more wide-open 3-pointers.
Jonathan Kuminga had his own battle going against his de facto replacement, Yaxel Lendeborg, on the wing. Kuminga scored 20 points, while Lendeborg posted 26. Brandon Williams also gave Golden State a lift off the bench with 11 points.
Minnesota was already short-handed. Anthony Edwards was out with a knee injury, missing the first game of what is expected to be a two-month absence.
Lendeborg’s night carried some unusual weight, too. The 24-year-old kept adding to a start that has already put him in rare company. He finished with 26 points and eight rebounds and joined Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson, Maurice Stokes, Sidney Wicks and Connie Hawkins as the only players to reach 100 points, 40 rebounds and 20 assists in their first five games.
There were still some rough edges in his game. Lendeborg had seven turnovers, with several coming when he dribbled into traffic.
Golden State also adjusted its starting group with Santos sidelined by a sore knee. Steve Kerr stayed with size, giving Georges Niang his first start since April of 2025. Niang made an early imprint, scoring on a 3-pointer and a layup in the opening quarter, then showing touch as a passer when he drove a closeout and kicked to De’Anthony Melton for a corner 3.
Inside, the Warriors leaned heavily on their veteran center rotation. Draymond Green and Horford handled most of the minutes, and Green in particular had stretches where he controlled Rudy Gobert, including one sequence where he ripped the ball right out of the seven-footer’s hands.
Golden State is now 2-3 and gets a day off before opening a six-game homestand Friday against the Lakers.
In Other News...
Warriors Rookie Is Delivering But One Draft Doubt Just Got Louder
The early returns on Yaxel Lendeborg have been exactly what Golden State needed while key teammates work their way back from injuries. The rookie has already carved out a real role, and in a season where the Warriors have had to lean on depth sooner than expected, he has looked like one of their most useful players right away.
Across the bracket, Aday Maras preseason has only sharpened the contrast between promise and opportunity. The Oklahoma City Thunder rookie turned in a strong exhibition stretch and even logged a double-double in a recent game, but the path to meaningful minutes is crowded on a roster with real depth. For now, the talent is easy to see, even if the chance to show it consistently still looks limited. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kuminga Is Reviving An Uncomfortable Warriors Debate
Jonathan Kumingas early run since leaving Golden State has brought back a familiar question around the Warriors: was the issue ever really his talent, or the way he fit into their structure? His offensive production has stayed fairly steady with his new teams, but the bigger shift has come on the other end, where the numbers have been kinder to him with both the Hawks and Timberwolves. Those stops have given him a different context, and the improvement has been noticeable enough to reopen the conversation about what kind of defender he can be when the environment around him is right.
The support system matters here. Playing next to strong rim protectors and elite point-of-attack defenders has helped cover some of the gaps that complicated Kumingas role in Golden State, while also making it easier to see his own ability to hold up on that end. For the Warriors, that is the uncomfortable part of the debate: his new situations have suggested a player whose defensive value may depend as much on deployment as on instinct, and whose best position is still not settled. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Just Got Linked To A Trade Idea Fans Will Debate
The Warriors keep getting mentioned in center-market conversations, and one of the more interesting ideas on the table would send Daniel Gafford from Dallas to the Bay in a package built around Moses Moody, Gui Santos and a 2028 first-round pick. It is the kind of proposal that immediately invites debate because it speaks directly to Golden States need for more size in the middle while also asking Dallas to weigh long-term value against a player who has carved out a useful role.
From the Warriors perspective, the appeal is obvious: Gafford would give them a more traditional option at a spot where they have been searching for answers. The twist is that the discussion is not just about fit, but about whether the money works cleanly for both sides and how much the Mavericks would value Moody, whose injury status and playing profile are part of the larger calculation. Nothing is finalized, of course, but this is the sort of deal framework that can linger because it forces both front offices to decide how much certainty they want now versus what they might prefer later. [Read more 🡒]