Basketball

Warriors record without Stephen Curry: Golden State struggles offensively in ugly Game 2 loss vs. Wolves

In their first game since Stephen Curry suffered a hamstring strain, the Warriors struggled mightily without their point guard. Golden State couldn’t any offense going in a 117-93 loss to the Timberwolves, tying the series at one as it shifts back to California.

The Warriors did what they needed to do in the first two games, splitting in Minnesota to gain home-court advantage, However, as Golden State goes back home tied 1-1, the team must find a way to score without Curry before the series gets too late.

Here’s a look at how the Warriors offense struggled on Thursday night.

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Warriors stats vs. Timberwolves Game 2

The Warriors scored just 15 points in the first quarter and 39 points in the first half on their way to 93 overall, which was one of their fewest points totals in a game all season. Golden State struggled both to generate offense without their best player and to figure out a stingy Minnesota defense facing a crucial Game 2 at home.

Good activity from Minnesota on defense here. Edwards goes under twice on the Kuminga/Looney two man game. Gobert switches on the drive, DDV sees the ball able to get a deflection and steal. Wolves turning defense into offense feels key. pic.twitter.com/mM6vSEd8iy

— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) May 9, 2025

Good defense from Minnesota here. Draymond with high P&R for Hield. Gobert in a drop, Hield looks to back out and attack. Edwards switches so Gobert can take away the Podz cut. Kuminga attacks 1v1, Wolves stay at home and McDaniels gets a steal. pic.twitter.com/G3zicSF3Qp

— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) May 9, 2025

Without Curry, the Warriors needed role players to step up on Thursday night, as Steve Kerr played all 14 active players in the first half. While Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis combined for 33 points, Moses Moody in particular struggled with the added responsibility.

Moses Moody with a horrific air ball on the fastbreak pic.twitter.com/O3kU0Q2o73

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) May 9, 2025

This has not been the Moses Moody gamepic.twitter.com/YIg6CBGy64 https://t.co/bvdiVz0p7b

— Pikkit (@pikkitsports) May 9, 2025

Moody was one of eight Warriors to end the game with three points or less as the guard scored just three free throws at the end of regulation. Overall, those eight players combined to go 2-13 on the night with no three-pointers.

Kuminga led the Warriors with 18 points, while Jimmy Butler (17 on 6-13 shooting), Buddy Hield (15 on 5-14 shooting), and Draymond Green (9 on 3-10 shooting) all had to work hard for their points. The Warriors did manage 23 assists on their 34 made field goals, but their trademark ball movement didn’t lead to enough open — or even semi-open — shots.

After the game, head coach Steve Kerr admitted he planned on playing a large part of the active roster in an attempt to find an answer without Curry.

“I think part of the game plan early was to play a lot of people,” he said. “We have to figure out what we’re gonna be able to do in this series without Steph, so we gave a lot of people a lof of chances.”

Despite the struggles, however, Kerr believes this game was a learning experience for the team.

“We learned a lot and I think this game will help us figure out how to move forward,” he added.

Steve Kerr said the gameplan was to play a ton of guys in the first half tonight in search of rotation answers without Steph Curry. pic.twitter.com/aFWMNSjSQ8

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 9, 2025

Later in the game, Kerr said he didn’t want to push Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler too much as the deficit grew, which opened the door for more minutes from the rest of the team.

Golden State ended the game with 93 points while shooting 44.7 percent from the field 28.1 percent from deep. Those numbers were down from the regular season when the Warriors averaged 113.8 points per game on 45.1 percent shooting from the field and 36.4 percent shooting from three.