With an improbable shot clock-beater as time expired on Friday, Stephen Curry completed a triumphant return to the court. It was a great effort for the Warriors where he scored 39 points. Even with that kind of production, his new squad fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 127-120. This defeat drops the Warriors to 13-13, 3½ games out of the play-in tournament.
Curry’s return came after an absence from the team’s recent three-game road trip. He had emergency surgery over the weekend. On Wednesday, he took part in a full speed scrimmage intended to get him back into game shape. Following the scrimmage, Curry sounded upbeat about his health, saying he “began to feel normal again.”
In that first home game back, Curry hardly needed an introduction. Williams notched 10 points in his first eight minutes of action, being aggressive from the jump with six shots in quick succession. Overall, Curry couldn’t be stopped—28 shots in just 32 minutes—indicating his urgency to make up for the time he missed.
The last quarter was a real barn burner, as Curry got hot with a total of 14 points in that quarter—including three three-pointers! Unfortunately for the Warriors, their defensive issues were already boiling over, as they let the Timberwolves drop 39 points in the fourth quarter on them. This essentially game winning defensive accountability lapse directly led to their loss and more troubling, laid bare the concerns this team needs to fix for the future.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was crystal clear on what cost the team a chance at advancing in the postseason, saying simply, “Our defense betrayed us tonight. This loss has been a serious shocker compared to how they’ve been playing lately. They were still able to keep four of their final five opponents under the century mark, winning three games despite Curry’s absence from the court.
Even with Curry back, the Warriors have a long way to go. Instead, they find themselves 22nd in the league in offensive rating, even as they boast the third-best defensive rating in all of the NBA. This gap highlights the importance of setting a baseline to make necessary corrections while they strive to achieve their very best long-term outcomes.
Curry recognized the contributions of his teammates, noting, “Draymond and Al understand how to make their impact, make their presence felt.” He admitted they were not enough to help them build on those strengths and advantages in Friday’s game effectively. “We didn’t have them. We had to figure out a way to get it done. We just didn’t,” he added.
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