Jimmy Butler’s absence no longer feels quite as heavy in Golden State.
After a rough 0-3 start that had the Warriors looking battered and short on answers, they’ve suddenly put together back-to-back road wins that change the mood around the team. Wednesday night’s 119-114 escape in Minnesota followed a dominant 20-point win over the Denver Nuggets, and this one came with Stephen Curry and Yaxel Lendeborg doing the heavy lifting.
That pair combined for 70 points, and Lendeborg keeps forcing his way into the conversation as more than just a long-term project. The 11th overall pick backed up his career-best 31-point, 12-rebound, six-assist performance against Denver with 26 points and nine rebounds against the Timberwolves, looking every bit like a difference-maker right now.
Curry, though, was the headliner late and throughout most of the night. The two-time MVP poured in 44 points, grabbed eight rebounds and handed out six assists in just under 32 minutes, taking over the second quarter as Golden State built a 16-point halftime cushion. Minnesota, missing its own star in Anthony Edwards after a knee procedure, managed only 48 points in the first half.
The Timberwolves did make things uncomfortable at the end. They closed hard enough to put a one-point chance on the table in the final 20 seconds, enough to trigger fresh nerves for Warriors fans after Golden State had coughed up a 12-point lead in the final four minutes last week at home against the Memphis Grizzlies. This time, the Warriors held firm and walked away with the five-point win.
That matters because the early read on this team had been bleak. With Butler sidelined and injuries piling up, plenty expected Golden State to hover around .500 or worse until he returned. Instead, Lendeborg’s breakout has given the Warriors something more interesting: a legitimate second engine beside Curry, and maybe the kind of foundation that can carry them through Butler’s absence.
Golden State was also missing Gui Santos on Wednesday, while veteran forward Goerges Niang drew the start and played more than 22 minutes. Brandon Williams was the only other Warrior to reach double figures, finishing with 11 points in 14 minutes off the bench.
Now comes a cleaner test of how real this run is. The Warriors head home to Chase Center on Friday night for a rematch with the Los Angeles Lakers, the same team that beat them by 22 on opening night.
In Other News...
Mavericks Just Got Linked To A Trade Idea Fans Will Debate
The Warriors search for help in the middle has been a constant subplot, and one speculative path that has surfaced 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 idea that immediately invites debate because it speaks to two things Golden State has been chasing for a while: more size up front and a clearer answer at center without emptying the cupboard too aggressively.
From the Mavericks side, the appeal would come down to what Moody can become when healthy and available, since his injury status is part of the conversation, along with the kind of perimeter profile he brings. For the Warriors, the question is whether giving up a young wing, a developmental piece and a future first is worth the chance to solve a glaring roster need, especially with the deal still only living in the speculative stage. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kuminga Is Reviving An Uncomfortable Warriors Debate
Jonathan Kumingas first season away from Golden State has done more than change his scenery. It has also sharpened the case for what kind of player he can be when the environment around him is built to highlight his strengths. Since moving on to the Hawks and then the Timberwolves, his offensive production has stayed fairly steady, but the defensive numbers around him have trended upward, and the broader picture has become harder for the Warriors to ignore.
Minnesota has given Kuminga a much different support system, one that includes strong rim protection and elite point-of-attack defense, and that context matters when evaluating his growth. It also feeds back into an old question Golden State never fully settled: whether Kuminga is best used as a wing, a forward, or in some role that asks less of him defensively and lets his athletic tools play up. The answer may not be simple, but his new stops have made the debate look a lot less theoretical. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Suddenly Face A Serious Kristaps Porzingis Contract Question
Kristaps Porzingis has yet to play for the Warriors this season because of a private health issue tied to an upper respiratory viral illness, and the teams latest roster paperwork has made the situation feel a lot more significant. His official designation changed from general illness to not with team, a shift that brings more than just medical concern into the picture and raises a fresh layer of uncertainty around one of the rosters most unusual absences.
For Golden State, the key issue now is less about when Porzingis might return and more about what the team can do if the situation keeps dragging on. The status change opens the door to a possible contract question if he is eventually viewed as unwilling to render services, but actually voiding the deal would be anything but simple. Unless Porzingis were to retire and give back the money, the process would be tangled, and the Warriors may be staring at a problem with no easy resolution. [Read more 🡒]