The Golden State Warriors are one team when Stephen Curry plays and other when he is not on the court. Hence, looking at his questionable tag for the January 25 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves raised concerns for some fans.
This is the first game of a back-to-back mini series against the T-Wolves, and Curry appeared with a questionable tag due to a right-knee soreness. However, Curry is ultimately available to play, bringing good news for the Warriors.
The 2x MVP has played all games since January 2. As of now, Curry is averaging 27.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. He is shooting 39.2% from beyond the arc.
The Warriors really need Curry
The Warriors have a thin roster and they are 25-21, eighth in the Western Conference. Hence, there is not much margin of error for them, and without Curry, the team is 4-6. Still, Jimmy Butler won’t take the load yet, as he suffered an ACL tear and the Warriors haven’t made any moves despite its plan to do so.
Therefore, without Butler, the Warriors already miss a star. Butler averaged 20 ppg, and the next man up is Brandin Podziemski, who only averages 12.2 points per game, and Jonathan Kuminga, who averages 12.1. It’s a huge hole to fill.
Timberwolves could get a lucky break
The T-Wolves are 2.5 games above the Warriors, so this back-to-back series is highly important for them to distance a bit more from the Warriors. Earlier in the season, Curry torched the Timberwolves, scoring 39 points, with five rebounds and five assists. He scored six threes in that game and Minnesota had no solution for him. Still, the T-Wolves managed to win that game, but Curry was an unsolvable puzzle.