A promising start to the season has descended into a full-fledged nightmare for the Golden State Warriors.
Stephen Curry and company will get one more opportunity to salvage something from their four-game road trip, but that’s sure to be a tall task given the Warriors’ current form.
Monday’s loss at Toronto was a new low for a Golden State team that’s dropped four of its last five. The Raptors had just one win in their previous 17 outings, but managed to defeat the Warriors 104-101 despite 26 points from Curry. The Warriors (19-20) sit below .500 for the first time this season after a scorching 12-3 start. They’ve lost 17 of their last 24 outings since that point.
Regardless, Curry doesn’t believe it’s time to panic and make a desperation move.
“There is a responsibility on keeping the franchise in a good space and good spot when it comes to where we leave this thing when we’re done,” Curry said. “Doesn’t mean that you’re not trying to get better. Doesn’t mean that you’re not active in any type of search. … Nobody wants to be stale or be in a situation where you’re passing up opportunities, but it doesn’t mean that you’re desperate just flinging assets around the place just because you want to do something.”
In coach Steve Kerr’s eyes, the Warriors’ biggest problem is an obvious one.
“We’re not disciplined enough to win these close games,” Kerr said. “Every game’s gonna be close right now. We play probably more close games than anybody in the league, and so we have to win in the margins. We’re not winning in the margins, and that’s coaching.”
Meanwhile, Minnesota hasn’t exactly had the season they were hoping for either. The Timberwolves (21-18) have consistently hovered around the .500 mark through their first 39 games, though they have won four of their last five to move three games over .500 for just the second time this season. The Wolves are coming off a 120-106 win in Washington on Monday as Anthony Edwards tallied his first 40-point game of the season (41).
“This 25-game span that we’re in right now (was about) figuring out ways to impact the game across all the stat lines and make your teammates better along the way,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. (Edwards) has had a few exceptional games doing that and this was one of them for sure. It’s fun to watch him go when he gets it going like that. I thought he mixed in just the right amount of playmaking too.”
Edwards leads Minnesota in scoring with 25.8 points while grabbing 5.7 rebounds and dishing out 4.2 assists per game. Rudy Gobert leads the Timberwolves in rebounding as the Frenchman hauls in 10.5 per game. Julius Randle averages 19.6 points and 7.1 boards per game in his first season in Minnesota after being acquired for Karl-Anthony Towns this offseason.
Curry remains the Warriors’ leading scorer, though his 22.7 ppg would be his lowest total since 2011-12. Jonathan Kuminga trails Curry with 16.8 despite starting in just 10 of his 32 appearances this season. Buddy Hield averages 12.3 points per game on a 37.5 percent shooting clip from 3-point range.
