Stephen Curry scored 20 of his team-high 31 points in the third quarter and the Golden State Warriors overcame a double-digit deficit and the ejection of Draymond Green for a 123-114 triumph over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night in San Francisco.
It wasn’t just a win; it was a stabilization of the ship for the Warriors. Just 24 hours after suffering a demoralizing 37-point drubbing at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Golden State Warriors walked back onto the Chase Center floor with a point to prove.
Part of what makes the NBA, or any pro sports league, so compelling to watch is the narratives, especially those centered on rivalries. Throughout the decades, the NBA has fostered a number of rivalries, some long-lasting and others short but sweet.
The Warriors thought they were getting Jonathan Kuminga back Friday. Instead, they got another question mark. Kuminga was expected to return after missing more than two weeks, but low back soreness popped up before the loss to the Thunder and kept him out despite being listed as active.
The Golden State Warriors are at a familiar crossroads. They are good enough to compete on most nights, disciplined enough to defend at a high level, but increasingly limited by an offense that struggles to keep pace with the league’s elite.
The Warriors were shorthanded Friday, and it showed. Golden State played without Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green in a 131-94 lopsided home loss to the Thunder.
Instead of getting the young Thunder facing a squad of future Hall of Famers, it got Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren dominating Pat Spencer and Brandin Podziemski.
The Golden State Warriors are expected to trade Jonathan Kuminga soon after he's first eligible to be dealt on Jan. 15. Below, I've tracked every rumor related to a Kuminga trade.
As we relayed in a Front Office article earlier on Thursday, Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. is an intriguing trade candidate ahead of the Feb.