With the Warriors officially crossing into the second half of the 2025-26 season, there’s finally a tangible shift in the Bay. No more just hoping for improvement - we’re seeing it.
Thursday night’s 126-113 win over the Knicks at Chase Center wasn’t just another notch in the win column. It was a statement.
A sign that this team might be turning the corner for real.
Earlier this season, this is the kind of game Golden State would’ve fumbled. A sluggish start, a wave of turnovers, and an opponent missing its star player - the ingredients were all there for a letdown.
But this time? The Warriors didn’t fold.
They regrouped, tightened the screws, and finished strong.
Let’s set the scene: the Knicks were coming off a tough loss in Sacramento and were without Jalen Brunson due to a sprained ankle. Still, they came out swinging, hitting five of their first six threes and jumping out to a 17-point lead.
It felt like déjà vu - another game slipping away early. But Golden State didn’t wait until the second half to respond.
They steadied the ship before the first quarter even ended, and from there, the tide turned.
Now, the start was rough. Steph Curry was ice cold again, following up a tough night against Portland with another shaky opening.
A behind-the-back turnover into the backcourt, a deep miss, and a pass that sailed out of bounds - all within minutes. Draymond Green added to the chaos with a forced pass to Gary Payton II that wasn’t even close to being there.
Four turnovers in the first eight minutes had the Warriors on pace for 24 - and it looked like another wasted opportunity in the making.
But then something changed.
According to Stan Van Gundy on the broadcast, Steve Kerr and his staff have taken a new approach to the turnover issue. Kerr reportedly told Van Gundy that the more they talked about the turnovers, the worse it got.
So they stopped talking about it. And, strangely enough, it’s working.
After that brutal start, the Warriors cleaned things up and finished with just 12 turnovers - a small number that felt like a big win.
Defensively, the Warriors weathered a monster effort on the glass from Karl-Anthony Towns, who pulled down 20 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end. But Draymond did his part to neutralize Towns as a scorer - and yes, that included one of his signature antics, grabbing KAT’s leg to earn a flagrant foul.
That moment aside, the Warriors benefited from some timely shooting regression by the Knicks. After their hot start, New York missed 10 straight threes stretching from the middle of the first quarter into the early minutes of the third.
You can’t bank on that kind of cold streak from your opponent, but when you’re playing the right way, sometimes the basketball gods reward you.
Offensively, Jimmy Butler was the engine. He poured in a game-high 32 points and brought the kind of physicality that this Warriors team often lacks.
When the Knicks went on a 10-0 run early, it was Butler who stopped the bleeding. He bullied his way to the rim, finished through contact, and reminded everyone that he’s still the most athletic player in Golden State’s rotation.
And when Kerr dialed up a classic after-timeout set, Butler executed it to perfection.
But the real story might be the second unit - and how it’s finally starting to click.
De’Anthony Melton and Al Horford didn’t light up the box score, combining for just 10 points after a 29-point outing in their previous game. But their impact went far beyond scoring.
Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski stole the show statistically, each starting 4-for-4 from the field and finishing with 21 points apiece. Podz knocked down seven of nine from deep and posted a team-best +22.
Moody was just as efficient, and both hit tough shots that gave the Warriors momentum.
That said, Golden State can’t count on that kind of shooting every night - especially not at 70% from deep. What they can count on, though, is the steady presence of Melton and Horford.
Melton’s ball-handling and finishing stood out, including one slick Smitty move in the lane that he capped off over a shot blocker. Horford, meanwhile, continues to be a defensive anchor when healthy.
His length and IQ, paired with Melton’s perimeter defense, give the Warriors a defensive backbone they were sorely missing earlier in the season.
Even after losing Gui Santos to a sprained ankle in the first quarter and giving up 10 offensive boards in the first half, the Warriors didn’t feel overwhelmed. That’s a credit to how Melton and Horford held things down in the paint and rotated smartly on the perimeter.
Their defensive presence helped fuel the Warriors’ first-quarter comeback and set the tone for the second half.
Coming out of the break, the Knicks briefly reclaimed the lead after a back-and-forth second quarter. But then Golden State did what they’ve done so many times over the years - they dominated the third.
Quinten Post chipped in a couple of buckets, Steph found his rhythm, and Moody stayed hot. The Warriors strung together stops, forced turnovers, and rained in threes to build a double-digit lead heading into the fourth.
There was a bit of turbulence late. Draymond’s flagrant for tripping slowed the game down, and three straight video reviews didn’t help the flow.
But this wasn’t the same Warriors squad that would’ve let the game slip away. They stayed composed, leaned on their stars, and trusted their rotation.
And that’s the key difference. The stars are still doing their thing.
The role players now have defined roles - and they’re thriving in them. The team is finally taking advantage of favorable stretches in the schedule, like this extended home stand.
Off the court, things could shift again soon. Jonathan Kuminga is now trade-eligible, and his agent has formally requested a move. With Golden State now four games over .500 for the first time all season and a matchup with the Hornets on deck, the Warriors are in a position to keep climbing - and maybe even make a move to bolster the roster.
This could be the beginning of something real. Or it could be another false dawn.
But for now, the Warriors are winning, they’re improving, and they’re finally starting to look like a team with a plan - and the pieces to execute it.