NBA championships aren’t decided in regular-season games in March.
But, man, the Warriors needed this one.
Nuggets-Warriors, a potential first-round playoff matchup, played out that way. There were lead changes. Defensive stands. Double-digit runs. Nikola Jokić, the reigning, defending, perhaps soon-to-be repeating MVP, played like one. Less than 24 hours after posting 38 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists in a win over Sacramento, Jokić delivered 23/12/9 against Golden State. Stephen Curry, after a quiet 15-point game against the Clippers on Tuesday, pumped in 34. Just two players on the Warriors’ bench scored. But those two, Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga, combined for 37.
Most importantly: The Warriors won, 113–102.
These are interesting days in Golden State. With a little more than a month to play in the regular season, the Warriors, on paper, appear to be in good shape. Thursday’s win improved the Dubs to 45–22 on the season. They are deadlocked with the Grizzlies for the second seed in the West and have a top-12 offense, the NBA’s best defense and a roster steeped in playoff experience.
But there are issues. Glaring ones. Curry is battling through the most prolonged shooting slump of his career. Klay Thompson, who missed two full seasons with lower leg injuries, is still finding his way back. Draymond Green has been out since Jan. 5 with a back injury. The Warriors’ record without him: 16–14. The offense has gone haywire. The defense has been worse. The win over the Clippers snapped a five-game losing streak. In four of those five losses, Golden State’s defense surrendered at least 122 points.
“Losing,” Steve Kerr said during that stretch, “sucks.”
What gives? Green’s absence is the easy answer. His contributions have long gone beyond the box score. He’s a facilitator on offense. The linchpin on defense. In the last two seasons, Curry’s numbers with Green (30.5 points per game, 46.5% shooting, 41.4% from three) are MVP-level. Without him, they are considerably worse.
But that’s not it. Curry’s shooting woes have been season-long. January was the least efficient shooting month of his career. He has had Curry-like stretches—he credits Warriors assistant coaches Bruce Fraser and Brandon Payne for helping him through—but the usual consistency has not been there.
It’s not just Curry. Thompson’s return in January was celebrated. But offensively he is still searching for consistency. “The one thing I’m stressing,” says Kerr, “is just get great shots.” Defensively, Thompson, once one of the NBA’s best wing defenders, is frequently hidden on slower forwards. Andrew Wiggins, a 41% three-point shooter before the All-Star break, has slipped to 34% after it. In a conference loaded with size, the Warriors’ biggest player, James Wiseman, is a 20-year-old with 39 games on his NBA résumé—and none this season.
The next month is critical for Golden State. Green is scheduled to return Monday. Andre Iguodala, out since early February, could be right behind him. Wiseman, the second-year pro, played with the Warriors’ G League team Thursday (18 points and six rebounds in 21 minutes for Wiseman), with the expectation he could make his season debut next week, too.
The Warriors need these players back in the mix. Because there are good things happening. Poole’s 21 points against Denver was his fifth straight scoring 20-plus. Kuminga, still a teenager, is averaging 15 points per game this month. Thompson, glued to Reggie Jackson this week, held the Clippers guard to five points on 2-of-14 shooting. Entering Thursday night, the three-guard lineup of Poole-Thompson-Curry was a plus-56 in 74 minutes. “If we can defend,” said Curry, “there’s a lot of scoring out there.”
Indeed. Kerr struck an optimistic tone Thursday. “It was a much-needed win,” Kerr said. “Hopefully we can put together a little streak here.” Reinforcements are on the way, and one of the NBA’s most puzzling contenders can quickly become one of its most formidable ones. The clock, however, is ticking. “We’re still learning how to win,” Curry said. “You have to dig your way out of the hole we’ve been in.”
