SAN FRANCISCO — Without the ailing Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors’ coaches again went searching for a new starting lineup in a Sunday night rematch with a Timberwolves team that bottled them up two days prior.
On the morning of the game, Steve Kerr connected with Pabail Sidhu, the franchise’s director of analytics. His built-out staff, which includes Hannah Heiring, delivers Kerr lineup data reports and occasional suggestions. After a Saturday thinking on it, Sidhu presented the idea of a rearranged small-ball five-man group: Steph Curry, Buddy Hield, Gary Payton II, Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green.
“It took us a little while,” Kerr said. “But that opened up the game for us.”
Payton was needed in Wiggins’ place as a primary defender for Anthony Edwards. Hield was out there, replacing Brandin Podziemski, to provide an extra layer of space for Curry to run free and Kuminga to slash and crash downhill. The Warriors have been hesitant to start Green at center this season. They’re worried about the physical toll. But Rudy Gobert isn’t a traditional banger. So they green-lit Green at the five spot and planned for a track meet.
The Warriors beat the Timberwolves 114-106, overcoming a bad start for a 44-32 third quarter and 21-16 fourth quarter. That five-man group opened the second half well and closed down the stretch. In all, they were a plus-11 in 17 minutes together.
“I think he liked the numbers,” Hield said of Kerr’s lineup choice. “I don’t know whatever it is. I think we play faster. It worked out today, for sure. But whenever I’m out there with Steph, Dray, Gary, JK on the floor, it’s always open. Teams got to pick their poison.”
Hield started the season on a volcanic stretch, scoring 20-plus points in six of the first seven games, making a high volume of 3s on better than 50 percent accuracy. But he cooled the past month and his minutes and opportunity dipped recently. He hadn’t scored 20 points since Nov. 4. He played only 13 minutes against the Timberwolves on Friday night.
“We just felt like we’ve gotta get Buddy going,” Kerr said.
Kerr started Hield and kept him out there for a season-high 35 minutes on Sunday. He scored 27 points and hit seven 3s, including the dagger from the corner to put the Warriors up six with 57 seconds left.
“Steve did a good job of just letting me stay out there and letting me figure it out,” Hield said. “Sometimes, you need to get settled in. If you know what I’m talking about as a basketball player, you sometimes get locked in and you’re just running around all the time and you don’t feel comfortable.”
Curry scored a team-high 30 points. He appeared to have an extra bounce in his step. Kuminga had 20 points in a season-high 36 minutes. He had seven big rebounds and tied a career high with three blocks. In the closing stretch, he had a powerful rebound in traffic and stuffed Julius Randle on the Timberwolves’ second-last possession.
But it was Payton who served as the night’s star defensive player. Usually just a change-of-pace option, Payton has eclipsed 20 minutes only once this season. He was out there for a season-high 27 minutes Sunday night, glued to Edwards for a vast majority of that court time. He had two blocks and two game-altering fourth-quarter steals.
Here is the first. It comes with nine minutes left. He trails Edwards around a screen and leaps into his passing window as Edwards thinks he’s dumping it off after a simple double-team. Payton turns it into an and-1 layup on the other end.
Payton’s second steal comes with a minute left. It’s a similar scenario. He’s trailing Edwards after the Timberwolves tried to screen him off of their star wing. He reads the developing play and leaps into Edwards’ passing lane for an interception that again leads to points in the other direction. Seven seconds later, Hield is hitting that dagger 3 in the left corner.
Even after the Hield corner 3, the Warriors still were in search of an exclamation point. That came on the next possession when Green had the ball up top, Curry came for a quick pick-and-pop and Gobert stuck in Curry’s vicinity too long. Green, stalking his prey, figured Gobert would get caught in the Curry traffic and zoomed in for a driving dunk.
Draymond hit the “night night” on Rudy Gobert and the Wolves 😅
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 9, 2024
Green delivered Curry’s signature night-night taunt and made sure to sprint down the floor quick enough so Gobert could catch a glimpse of him celebrating.
“We needed that moment,” Curry said.
(Photo of Buddy Hield celebrating a 3-pointer with Steph Curry: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)