Curry Needed Eight Shots Because the Kids Carried Denver
The Warriors won in Denver because Podziemski, Lendeborg and Santos drove it, and Minnesota will show whether Kerr trusts that group when the margin is thin.
Golden State beat the Nuggets 134-114 for its first win, pulling away with a 40-point third and a lead that reached 24. Stephen Curry was perfect from the floor, but the three best plus-minus marks belonged to players 24 or younger.
Who actually won this one?
Golden State trailed 32-28 after one and led only 60-56 at the half. Then came a 40-28 third that turned the game into a rout, built on a 9-0 burst that took 71-65 to 80-65. The plus-minus shows who carried it: Brandin Podziemski +33 in 33 minutes, Yaxel Lendeborg +27 in 31, Gui Santos +18 in 28. Curry, flawless, finished +7.
Grading the core
Lendeborg, A-minus. He had 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and how he got them matters. He went 1-of-8 from three and 12-of-13 at the line, so he beat Denver by attacking the rim, not by shooting over it. The jumper still has to come. Podziemski, A. He had 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and zero turnovers, the steadiest line on the floor. Curry, A. He made all eight of his shots, went 3-of-3 from deep and 5-of-5 at the line for 24 points in 27 minutes. He didn't need volume, which is the point: the offense ran without him having to force it.
Where the bench gave it back
The starters scored 89 of the 134. Al Horford was the exception off the bench, 3-of-3 from three and +14 in 19 minutes. Georges Niang was -8 in 18 and Gary Payton II -7 in 12, and De'Anthony Melton broke even at +1 in 19. In a 20-point win, those numbers say the second unit still has no identity of its own. The group Kerr used to hold the margin late was Horford, Podziemski, Melton, Santos and Lendeborg. Curry wasn't in it, and three of the five are 24 or younger.
What Minnesota asks
One win moves Golden State to 1-3 and 12th, half a game behind Denver for 10th and two behind the Timberwolves in sixth. Wednesday is the second straight road game, on one day of rest. Minnesota is 3-1, and ESPN noted the Warriors arrive after Anthony Edwards' 47-point game. Donte DiVincenzo is out for the Wolves. Santos has been cleared to play. The question is whether Kerr gives the Podziemski-Lendeborg-Santos core the same minutes against a better defense. If he does, Denver was a direction. If he doesn't, it was a good night.
Who led the Warriors in the win over the Nuggets?
Yaxel Lendeborg had 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and Stephen Curry added 24 on 8-of-8 shooting. Brandin Podziemski had the best plus-minus at +33.
Where do the Warriors stand after beating Denver?
They are 1-3 and 12th in the West, half a game out of 10th. Next is a road game at Minnesota on October 28.
