The Golden State Warriors made a statement in Minneapolis, cruising to a dominant 111-85 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. But as satisfying as that victory may have been, there’s no time to dwell on it - not with a back-to-back rematch looming tomorrow night in the same building.
And while the scoreboard told one story, all eyes postgame turned to Stephen Curry - and more specifically, his knee.
Curry, now 37, continues to defy time with his conditioning and shot-making, but the wear and tear of nearly two decades in the league is starting to show in subtle ways. He came into Sunday’s game dealing with knee soreness and lower back tightness, yet still managed to pour in 26 points with his usual flair. But the concern isn’t what he did - it’s whether he can do it again tomorrow.
After the game, Curry didn’t rule himself out for the second leg of the back-to-back. But his comments carried the kind of cautious undertone that makes you pause.
“It kind of flared up yesterday when we came over to get a workout in. It was super weird,” Curry said.
Any time an athlete uses the word “weird” to describe an injury, it raises eyebrows. It suggests the pain isn’t something familiar - and that uncertainty is often more worrisome than the injury itself.
Curry has dealt with quad issues and other minor ailments before, but this knee discomfort was something new. The unexpected day off - due to the game’s postponement following the ICE shooting in Minneapolis - gave him extra time to recover, and he admitted he needed it.
“I’ve had stuff going on, quads and whatnot, but it was something that I hadn’t felt before. So I definitely took advantage of the day off to get right,” he explained.
The Warriors kept Curry’s minutes in check, limiting him to just 27. That was by design.
Head coach Steve Kerr knows the long game matters more than any single regular-season win, especially with the memory of Jimmy Butler’s recent season-ending ACL injury still fresh across the league. Golden State can’t afford to take chances with their franchise cornerstone - not in January, not with the postseason in mind.
“If everything goes well, yeah, with the recovery and all that between the night,” Curry said when asked about suiting up again Monday. “The minutes weren’t crazy, so hopefully you respond well.”
That’s the hope - that the light workload, combined with treatment and rest, will be enough to keep Curry on the floor. But the Warriors will be cautious, as they should be.
As for the Timberwolves, this isn’t the same team that knocked the Warriors out of the playoffs last spring. Jimmy Butler is out for the season, and his absence was glaring. Still, Curry isn’t buying into the idea that Sunday’s blowout is any indication of what’s to come.
“I mean, it’s different without Jimmy, but we’re not going to get lulled into thinking tonight is exactly who they are,” Curry said. “Just the idea that they’re in the Western Conference Finals two years in a row.”
He’s right. The Wolves are better than what they showed in this one, and the Warriors know it.
That’s what makes Monday’s rematch so intriguing. Can Golden State keep the same energy?
Can Curry suit up again and lead the charge, or will the team have to lean even more on its supporting cast?
Either way, the message is clear: the Warriors may have landed the first punch, but the fight isn’t over. Not yet.