Curry Scores 44 — Warriors Nearly Blow a 24-Point Lead Without Edwards
GOATIFYA 44-point Stephen Curry masterpiece should have made this a routine celebration. Instead, Golden State left Minneapolis with a 119-114 victory, two consecutive wins and a very uncomfortable question: how did a 24-point advantage against an Anthony Edwards-less Minnesota Timberwolves team almost disappear?
Curry scored 44, grabbed eight rebounds, dished six assists and hit all 16 of his free throws on October 28. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg added 26 points. The Warriors, who opened the 2026-27 season with three straight defeats, finally look capable of scoring in waves. But the scoreboard also reveals how thin the margin remains when their offense stalls and an opponent starts attacking with urgency.
Minnesota was playing its first game since learning Edwards would need a procedure on his right knee. The Wolves fell behind by 24 and still forced Curry to settle matters at the foul line. For Golden State, this was simultaneously a reminder of its greatest weapon and a warning about the habits that can waste him.
Curry's 44 Was Vintage Brilliance — Not Just a Three-Point Show
At 38, Stephen Curry is still capable of turning a normal regular-season possession into an emergency for an entire defense. Minnesota had size on the perimeter, length near the rim and an obvious plan to make him work. It did not matter enough. Curry finished with 44 points on 11-of-27 shooting, six made three-pointers, eight rebounds and six assists. His 16-for-16 night at the foul line was as important as any of his jumpers.
That free-throw number deserves attention because it explains why his performance was more than a familiar barrage of impossible threes. Curry attempted 16 shots from deep and made six, a respectable but not outrageous percentage for a player who has made absurd distance feel ordinary. He still found 44 points because he kept attacking, forcing contact and converting every available point at the line. Minnesota could change defenders and angles; it could not remove his ability to punish a late rotation or an overaggressive closeout.
The second quarter supplied the most spectacular stretch. Curry scored 19 in the period, including a burst of 17 points in the opening six minutes. The defense tried Jaden McDaniels' reach, different on-ball matchups and more aggressive attention away from the ball. Curry adjusted his route to the basket and his timing around screens rather than waiting for one particular coverage to surrender. The result was a 64-48 Golden State halftime lead, built on a rhythm that made the Warriors look much better than their 0-3 start suggested.
There is a reason this kind of performance still changes the mood around Golden State. The roster can be younger, the rotation can be different and the supporting cast can have uneven nights, but opponents must still build their defensive possessions around No. 30. That bends spacing before he even touches the ball. When he actually gets hot, the entire geometry of the floor changes.
Yet there is a trap in celebrating 44 as a complete solution. Curry should not have needed nearly every one of those points to close a game Golden State led by 24. His brilliance proved the Warriors retain a terrifying offensive ceiling. Their inability to protect a comfortable lead showed why that ceiling cannot be mistaken for stability.
Lendeborg's 26 Points Are the Part That Should Excite Golden State
The most encouraging number for Golden State might not be Curry's 44. It might be the 26 next to Yaxel Lendeborg's name. The rookie is doing something a struggling team desperately needs: creating another source of offense that does not require its franchise legend to solve every possession by himself.
Two nights earlier in Denver, Lendeborg scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Warriors finally entered the win column. Curry contributed 24 that night, making all eight of his field-goal attempts. Against Minnesota, the scoring distribution flipped. Curry became the dominant finisher, while Lendeborg still delivered 26. The contrast is meaningful. A second scoring threat does not have to lead every game; he has to remain dangerous when the defense loads up on the first option.
The 2026 No. 11 draft pick has arrived with unusual responsibility for a rookie. Golden State needs him to finish around the basket, move decisively when the ball swings and make defenses pay for treating Curry as the only player who matters. The Warriors' early lead against Minnesota reflected exactly that sort of balance. De'Anthony Melton hit important first-quarter threes, Lendeborg added a layup and a triple during a 21-9 closing run, and Golden State reached the first break ahead 30-23.
By the second quarter, the rookie was helping the visitors stretch the gap. His layup pushed the advantage to double digits, and another three helped Golden State build its 16-point halftime cushion. Brandon Williams chipped in 11 points from the bench. Those contributions matter because a Curry-centric offense is easier to disrupt when every other player becomes a stationary spectator.
There is still a difference between a dazzling first week and a proven second star. Lendeborg will have to manage turnovers, scouting adjustments and the physical demands of an 82-game schedule. The Warriors also cannot expect a rookie to make every defensive read correctly in October. But the underlying possibility is exciting: a versatile young forward can carry real scoring responsibility while Curry remains the league's most dangerous veteran shooting threat.
Golden State has now won twice after opening with three defeats. The two wins offer different versions of the same idea. Against Denver, Lendeborg took the lead. Against Minnesota, Curry did. If that flexibility lasts, the Warriors have something much more useful than a single hot shooting night.
Minnesota's Edwards Problem Is Bigger Than Replacing 33 Points
For Minnesota, this was the first practical look at a difficult new reality. Anthony Edwards had averaged 33.3 points through his first four games, then the Timberwolves announced that he needed arthroscopic treatment for his right knee. The reported absence could last roughly two months, although any recovery timetable is a projection rather than a guaranteed return date.
Replacing 33 points sounds like a simple arithmetic exercise until the game starts. Edwards does not merely score; he absorbs difficult possessions, forces defenders to collapse and gives teammates a dependable outlet when a set breaks down. Without that pressure, everyone else's role becomes harder. The Wolves have other talented players, but redistributing attempts is not the same thing as replacing the defensive attention that creates good attempts.
LaMelo Ball was supposed to help make the offense less dependent on one scorer. Against Golden State, however, he managed eight points on 3-of-11 shooting. The Wolves still found production elsewhere: former Warrior Jonathan Kuminga led them with 20 points, while Jaden McDaniels and Terrence Shannon Jr. added 19 apiece. Ayo Dosunmu supplied 17. Those totals demonstrate that the supporting cast is capable of responding; they do not erase the awkward stretches when the offense lacks its central threat.
Kuminga's contribution carried a separate storyline. Drafted seventh by Golden State in 2021, he spent years trying to turn flashes of athletic talent into a permanent place in the Warriors' plans. After a move through Atlanta, he joined Minnesota in September 2026. His 20 points against his former club were a credible statement of usefulness, even if the result was a loss. Framing the performance as revenge would be easy; treating it as evidence that Minnesota needs his aggression now is more informative.
What Minnesota did after falling behind also matters. The Wolves did not surrender when Golden State went up by 24. They increased the pace, got contributions from McDaniels and Kuminga and used bench scoring to attack a defense that had started to look comfortable. They outscored the Warriors 66-55 after halftime. That fight should give the coaching staff something to build around while Edwards recovers.
Still, the club's 3-0 opening has become 3-2 after consecutive defeats. The new-look roster, including Ball and Kuminga, is being asked to establish its identity under difficult conditions. A narrow loss to Curry at his most dangerous is not a verdict on the season. It is a clear indication that the post-Edwards adjustment must happen quickly.
The 24-Point Lead Nearly Vanished — and That Is the Real Warning
The most revealing sequence was not Curry's biggest shot. It was the moment the game stopped looking decided. Golden State had stretched its lead to 78-54 during the third quarter, a 24-point cushion that should have made the final period a matter of managing possessions. Instead, Minnesota closed the third on a 27-15 run. The Warriors led 93-81 after three quarters, and the mood had changed.
The Timberwolves kept coming. Bones Hyland provided energy off the bench, McDaniels and Kuminga attacked the defense, and Golden State began spending too many possessions merely trying to survive. The Wolves won the fourth quarter 33-26. A game that had looked like a blowout turned into one in which a single missed shot could alter the outcome.
With the Warriors ahead 116-112 late, Minnesota had chances to make the margin even smaller. McDaniels missed two deep attempts in the final minute. Hyland later banked in a shot that cut the deficit to three, and Curry finally settled the matter with two free throws. The final 119-114 score records a victory, but it also records how close Golden State came to wasting an enormous advantage.
There is an important distinction between a team that surrenders the lead and one that almost does. The Warriors never let Minnesota complete the comeback. They found just enough stops and enough late offense to get the result. That deserves credit. But the path matters when evaluating whether two wins represent a sustainable turnaround or a brief escape from a difficult opening week.
Golden State cannot assume that a 24-point lead will be safe because Curry is on the floor. A 38-year-old superstar can rescue possessions, not eliminate the need for disciplined transition defense, careful ball movement and reliable late-game execution. Minnesota, playing without its leading scorer, exposed that gap. Against deeper or healthier opponents, the same lapse may not be survivable.
The next test arrives quickly. Golden State hosts the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, October 30, while Minnesota welcomes the Los Angeles Clippers. For the Warriors, that game offers a chance to show the Minnesota finish was an exception. For the Wolves, it is another chance to discover how their offense functions without Edwards. Curry's 44 won the night; what happens next will determine whether it changed either team's direction.
Golden State has climbed from 0-3 to 2-3, and the difference has been dramatic. Curry can still detonate for 44. Lendeborg can give the offense a genuine second scoring option. Together, they make the Warriors dangerous in ways the first three losses did not reveal.
But a contender cannot make a habit of turning 24-point leads into last-minute emergencies, particularly against a team missing its best scorer. Minnesota showed real resistance despite Edwards' absence, while Golden State showed both its brilliance and its fragility. The Warriors got the win they needed. They have not yet earned the right to relax.
