The Warriors have been navigating a challenging stretch with key players sidelined, and Brandin Podziemski stepped up in a big way on Sunday. With Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Kristaps Porzingis out, Podziemski took charge in the fourth quarter against Denver, delivering 15 points and eight rebounds while hitting all six of his shots.
“Everything feels slow motion, kind of,” Podziemski shared. “Those last two threes I shot, everything felt so slow … the goal is to always try to find that.
The great players do that. That’s really what it felt like.”
This performance mirrors Podziemski’s season journey. Despite a rocky start, missing nine of his first 10 shots, he’s become a steady scorer in Curry’s absence, hitting double figures in the last five games.
“It’s been up and down for sure,” noted coach Steve Kerr. “But our season has been up and down as a whole, and sometimes a team’s struggles impact the individuals.
We know what he can do - for the last couple years, he’s been one of our highest plus/minus players. He’s a very versatile player.
The rebounding is what attracted us to him in the first place, coming out of Santa Clara. When a guy rebounds like that, you know he has great anticipation.”
The Warriors are also adjusting to the Porzingis experience. He was a late scratch on Sunday due to illness, leaving Kerr without his help to counter Nikola Jokic. Acquired from Atlanta at the trade deadline, Porzingis brings high-level skills but also a history of availability issues, which means Kerr might need to frequently adjust lineups.
Moses Moody has been another bright spot, adding 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists on Sunday. Known for his perimeter defense, Moody has upped his scoring game, averaging 13.1 points per game since January.
“Moses has been brilliant for six weeks,” Kerr said. “He’s shooting the lights out … the confidence; he’s maybe been our most consistent performer.
His on-ball defense; he’s top of the league against pick-and-roll. And he’s such a great teammate.
He’s there for you every night, the way he works.”
Meanwhile, Curry remains sidelined with “runner’s knee” since January 30, with no clear return timeline. He’s set for reevaluation on March 1.
“We all know the goal is to be healthy come play-in or playoff time, whatever it is,” Curry said. “We kind of know where we’re slotted in the standings right now.
A lot has happened this year, so we just want to get in a playoff series and have a chance.”