It took a total team effort for the Warriors, on a night where they used all their healthy players, to run away with an easy win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night. 

Missing multiple players one night later, the results weren’t quite the same for the Warriors. Already down Jimmy Butler for the rest of the season, the Warriors also didn’t have Steph Curry, Draymond Green, De’Anthony Melton, Al Horford, Jonathan Kuminga and Seth Curry. That called for a makeshift starting five of Pat Spencer, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Gui Santos and Quinten Post. 

Effort wasn’t lacking, but the absence of any starpower was too much to overcome a Timberwolves team that didn’t even have Anthony Edwards in a 108-83 blowout loss Monday night at Target Center 

To put the loss into context, the Warriors’ 57 points entering the fourth quarter were their fewest through three quarters in the past five seasons. Though all five starters scored in double figures for the third game this season, nobody had more than Post’s team-high 13 points. 

Highlighting a bright spot, Santos did record his first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. 

While the Warriors swiped 14 steals and caused 23 turnovers, they scored just 19 points off turnovers and tallied only two more assists (21) than turnovers (19). The Warriors shot 34.7 percent from the field, 23.1 percent from 3-point range and 61.5 percent at the free-throw line. 

Here are three takeaways from a loss that dropped the Warriors to 26-22 on the 2025-26 NBA season.

All Eyes On Podz 

To emphasize just how little scoring the Warriors had on the floor, four of their five top scorers weren’t available. The only one that was is Podziemski, who ranks third on the Warriors with 12.2 points per game entering Monday. The ball was sure to be in Podziemski’s hands a ton, and he was finding it as well. 

Podziemski grabbed six rebounds in the first quarter, which was nearly half of the team’s 13 total. He also led the Warriors in scoring during the opening frame with six points off some fancy footwork. When he turned the ball over by over-dribbling, it was a reminder that Podziemski is better as a secondary ballhandler instead of primary, but his hustle response in drawing a charge was as good as it gets.

Everything then went downhill for Podziemski. He only made two more shots and scored six more points the rest of the game. The guard did have seven rebounds, but only one came after the first quarter. Podziemski also had just one more assist (four) than turnovers (three). 

Commended for being a connector, life is much harder for Podziemski in a leading role.

Scoring Goes Ice Cold 

Both teams had a propensity of not taking care of the ball on the second night of a back-to-back. Only one team had the scorers to make up for their mistakes. And no, the Warriors weren’t that team. 

The Warriors didn’t have a second scorer in double figures until there was a little more than a minute left in the third quarter. At that point, the Timberwolves already had five scorers in double figures, including two off the bench. That’s about how it went for the Warriors’ offense, or lack thereof. 

After trailing by just one point after the first quarter, the Warriors were staring at a 15-point deficit at halftime that rose to 18 going into the fourth quarter and 21 just 10 seconds later. 

Cracks in the system become exposed when Curry is sidelined. For example, Moody had averaged 14.4 points per game over the last seven games while shooting 57.1 percent overall and 56.8 percent as a 3-point shooter. Against the Timberwolves without Curry, Moody scored 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting (33.3 percent) and was 2 of 7 from three (28.6 percent).

Afraid of Rudy Gobert and without players who possess the skill set of getting downhill and attacking the rim, the Warriors didn’t take one free throw in the first half and attempted 13, half as many as Minnesota, all game.

Spencer’s Situation 

Since playing at least 20 minutes in five straight games during early December, and starting three of them, Spencer’s role has taken a major step back. He has received six healthy DNPs in the last month-plus and has been inactive twice. He was active Monday as the Warriors’ starting point guard for the fourth time this season and first since a seven-point loss to these Timberwolves on Dec. 12. 

However, time is running out on Spencer’s two-way contract. Spencer now has been active in 46 games, giving him just four more that he can be active the rest of the season. It’s no coincidence that the Warriors now have three games left until the Feb. 5 trade deadline before they play later that night. 

If the Warriors do make a move, where more players are sent out than in, Spencer will be first in line to join the 15-man roster on a standard contract. Spencer played a team-high 34 minutes and was a minus-10 with 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting, five rebounds and six assists but also tied Santos for a team-high four turnovers.

Like the rest of his teammates, this was a game to forget and move forward.

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