The Warriors have given themselves a little breathing room, and they did it the hard way.
Golden State has won three straight, turning an ugly early stretch into something that looks a lot more manageable. The run began with a surprisingly lopsided win over the Denver Nuggets, a game in which Stephen Curry attempted only eight shots and sat for most of the fourth quarter. For a team coming off a pair of rough losses, that was the kind of response it badly needed.
From there, the Warriors handled the Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota was missing Anthony Edwards, and its offense took a major hit because of it, but Golden State still put together an impressive scoring night against a defense that was swarming all over the floor.
Then came Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, and that one looked like it might go sideways fast. The Warriors fell behind by more than 20 in the first half, and it felt as if the same problems from their first few games - including the earlier loss to Los Angeles - were about to resurface. Instead, Curry settled in after halftime, the rest of the group followed his lead, and Golden State stormed back for a 17-point win.
That pushed the Warriors to 3-3, and suddenly there’s a real case for optimism. The roster still has obvious issues, including the need for another big man with Kristaps Porzingis out. But if Golden State is going to hang around in the chase for a real playoff spot, or at least a top play-in seed, these are the kinds of wins that will keep it afloat while Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are sidelined.
Butler’s return is still the big variable. Even if he comes back quickly, it would be unrealistic to expect him to look exactly like the player he was before the injury.
He’ll be 37 years old when he returns from an ACL tear in the middle of the season. If he can simply give the Warriors a third scoring option in the starting lineup, that would already count as a successful comeback.
And yet Golden State needs him for more than just that. To have a real shot at contending, the Warriors need Butler’s versatility and the steady offense he can provide next to Curry and Yaxel Lendeborg. Lendeborg has helped fill some of that void early on with his downhill game and playmaking, but Butler would raise the ceiling even further - especially if Lendeborg starts knocking down threes more consistently.
The bigger concern is timing. The Warriors cannot afford to be fighting just to reach the postseason at the end of the regular season.
This is a veteran group, and it already has enough injury risk baked in. Burning too much energy late in the year could leave them empty when it matters most, and that has already hurt them in back-to-back seasons.
If they’re still well under .500 by the All-Star Break, that danger starts to loom again.
The first three losses made this team look shaky, with an offense that couldn’t find a rhythm and defensive gaps that were hard to ignore. But since Oct. 26, the numbers have flipped in a big way: Golden State is second in the league in offensive rating and 10th in defensive rating. With everyone healthy except Butler, Moody, and Porzingis, the Warriors have shown they can produce.
There will still be losses ahead, especially when Curry and the other veterans need a night off. But if Golden State keeps stacking wins like these while its main pieces are available, it can build a cushion against teams such as the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, and even the Dallas Mavericks.
In Other News...
Warriors Suddenly Face A Brutal Test Without Curry And Draymond
The Warriors head into their matchup with the Clippers already short-handed, and the timing stings after a strong showing against the Lakers. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green will both be out, with Curry dealing with a right knee injury and Green sidelined by a bilateral low back injury, leaving Golden State without its two most important veterans for a game that now looks a lot trickier.
Curry had just put up 31 points in the win over Los Angeles, while Green added nine assists in a performance that helped steady the group on both ends. Without them, the Warriors lose their top scoring threat and one of their best organizers, which puts even more pressure on the rest of the roster to carry the load against a Clippers team that will be ready to take advantage. [Read more 🡒]
Luka And The Lakers Just Humiliated A Warriors Rookie Who Talked Big
Yaxel Lendeborg had a rough night in the Warriors comeback win over the Lakers, the kind of game that can humble a rookie fast. The first-year forward finished with six points and five turnovers, and afterward he was candid about how much he still has to learn when defenses tighten and the game starts slipping away.
Stephen Curry, though, did not sound worried about the long view. He said he believes Lendeborg can bounce back from a performance like that, and for Golden State that matters as much as anything else, because the rookies next test will be less about proving he belongs and more about showing he can lean on his teammates when the pressure spikes. [Read more 🡒]
Steph Curry Had One Extra Message In That Luka Moment
Stephen Currys latest big night came with a little extra theater attached. The Warriors dug out of a 25-point hole to beat the Lakers 112-95 and even the season series at 1-1, with Curry pouring in 31 points and punctuating the comeback with a viral ankle-breaker against Luka Doncic, who still finished with 37 for Los Angeles.
Curry said the sequence carried more than just the usual bragging rights, and he also pointed to his motivation to back teammate Yaxel Lendeborg. It was the kind of postgame detail that gives a comeback win a little more texture, especially when it comes against a rival and includes a highlight that will keep circulating long after the final buzzer. [Read more 🡒]