The lessons the Warriors learned through Game 2 experimentations

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MINNEAPOLIS — Steve Kerr knew Game 2 would be ripe for experimentation. 

With Steph Curry sidelined through at least Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, Kerr needed to search for new lineup combinations and strategies that could work. Curry’s absence has a trickle-down effect on the rest of the roster. What got the Warriors to this position won’t be the same as what works without him. 

“We have to figure out what we’re going to be able to do in this series without Steph,” Kerr said after a 117-93 loss to Minnesota. 

Kerr played all 14 active players in the first half, cycling people from the bench to the scorer’s table at a frenetic pace as the Warriors fell behind. 

The biggest revelations presented themselves. Jonathan Kuminga, out of the doghouse and into attack mode, made his first eight shots and finished with 18 points, five rebounds, and a steal. Backup center Trayce Jackson-Davis also made an impact as a rim-runner.

“You could see that their athleticism was important,” Kerr said. “Those guys really performed well and showed why they can help us win this series. So they’re going to be a part of it, for sure.” 

Kuminga’s downhill ability gives the Warriors a needed scoring punch without Curry. Although he has struggled in his minutes with Jimmy Butler, the offense slows down and is simpler with Butler running point, which could help Kuminga pick his spots. 

On one play, Kuminga beat Rudy Gobert off the dribble on a baseline drive and jammed in a dunk over the four-time Defensive Player of the Year. Shortly before, Butler instructed Kuminga to attack the matchup. 

“Jimmy was like, ‘Go,’” Kuminga said. “As long as he saw Gobert on me, he said go.” 

Jackson-Davis, meanwhile, has had success against Gobert and Minnesota in the past. While his struggles to finish at the rim booted him from Golden State’s rotation for most of this season, he converted all six of his attempts Thursday, including an alley-oop jam from Draymond Green off a nifty big-to-big pick-and-roll. 

Kuminga and Jackson-Davis auditioned for roles in Game 2 and got the part. It seems highly likely that at least one of them will join the starting lineup as the 1-1 series heads to San Francisco. 

Here are five other lessons the Warriors could apply from what became a feel-out game by necessity. 

At least twice, the Warriors forced turnovers by double-teaming Minnesota ball-handlers near half-court. That’s an advantageous portion of the court to trap, and the Warriors seized a few chances. 

Minnesota doesn’t exactly have prime Chris Paul taking the ball up. Jaden McDaniels can get sped up. Mike Conley is steady but is in his 18th season. Even Anthony Edwards can get himself into trouble under pressure occasionally. 

Here are two examples of successful Warriors traps. Golden State had the No. 1 defense in the league after the All-Star break, and Minnesota is merely an average team at taking care of the ball. Forcing turnovers with ball pressure could be a key to swinging an upset. 

Moses Moody put together a pair of nice performances in down games against Houston but hasn’t looked comfortable in most competitive situations this postseason. He went 0-for-5 from the floor in Game 2 and has missed his last eight 3-pointers. 

Several of those misses have been end-of-clock grenades and not Moody’s fault whatsoever. But they could still sap some of his confidence. 

“This is the playoffs, I’ve seen this my entire career,” Kerr said. “Stuff happens. Some players, like in Moses’ case, the way Buddy has played the last couple games has limited Moses’ minutes. … Things start going bad for you, and all of the sudden you end up with the ball with two seconds on the shot clock five times in two games. I feel terrible for Moses, because literally four or five of those he had to just throw it up there.”

Kuminga had most of his success next to Brandin Podziemski, Jimmy Butler, Buddy Hield and Draymond Green. That five-man combination had the best blend of two-way options and will be a prime candidate to start Game 3. 

Kerr deployed the lineup to start the second half, and the lineup went on a 16-6 run to cut the deficit to seven. It was the closest the Warriors got to threatening a comeback. 

In that span and at several other moments, Kuminga was tasked with defending Anthony Edwards. That allowed Jimmy Butler to tag Gobert and Green to match up with Julius Randle. That’s a preferred defensive alignment. 

Kuminga did a solid job on Edwards, who is dynamic with the ball but sometimes floats around without it. Kuminga has typically been a decent on-ball defender who can get lost off it, so that aspect of the matchup is favorable. 

Also in that stretch, Kuminga beat the Timberwolves down the court on multiple occasions, getting ahead of the play for easy looks at the rim. Butler likes to slow the game down, but picking opportunistic times to play in transition might be necessary to survive offensively. 

Some of the Warriors’ most consistent sources of effective offense came in spread pick-and-rolls, particularly with Butler initiating. 

Butler scored 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting — an efficient night but a far cry from the “Playoff Jimmy” who can turn into a volume scorer at will. He’s still capable of filling it up, but insists on making the right plays for his teammates rather than chucking. 

“I play basketball the right way,” Butler said. “I will continue to play basketball the right way.”

Take a look at what happens when Jackson-Davis comes up to set a high screen for Butler. As always, the key is spacing. With Hield and Podziemski spotted up on the weak side, Minnesota can’t help against Butler’s drive after he turns the corner on Naz Reid. 

It can also work from the side. Podziemski cutting through and into the weak-side corner clears space for this variation, which ends in a Butler and-1 over Gobert. 

The most creative pick-and-roll of the night came with Green handling the ball. Big-big screens are rare, and the Wolves looked like they weren’t expecting it — especially in a secondary break as some defenders were still backpedaling. 

Without Curry, Green needs to be more active offensively. Initiating offense is one way to do it. 

There will still be opportunities for Golden State’s pet off-ball movements. Podziemski scored a layup on a nice split-cut and got an additional look in the paint off a similar action. But those kinds of off-ball screens are much less potent when Curry isn’t drawing so much of the defense’s attention. The Warriors might have to keep it more simple in the halfcourt. 

Rookie center Quinten Post started Game 2, but his night was over after three minutes as the Timberwolves scored the first 13 points of the game. 

Minnesota’s game-opening run certainly didn’t all fall on Post, but he has been largely ineffective for several games now. He’s 4-for-16 (25%) from behind the arc since Game 3 of the Rockets series, and if his shot’s not falling or he loses confidence, he doesn’t provide much value. 

The idea of having a stretch center like Post out there — especially with Butler — makes sense as a spacing option. But these playoffs have been rough for Post. Jackson-Davis looks primed to snag most, if not all, of his minutes.