SAN FRANCISCO – This “Night! Night!” There were a few Saginaw gifts at the celebration. Picking up on Steph Curry’s exclamatory gesture, Draymond Green didn’t want to put the Minnesota Timberwolves to bed. No, as he drove around a Curry screen and the 114-106 victory of the Golden State Warriors on Sunday with a thunderous dunk, as thunderous as it can be for a 34-year-old with the bounce of an assistant coach, Green put it Timberwolves sleep. His version wasn’t the taking of a besotted patriarch, but a right hook in pursuit of a concussion. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Green jogged all the way across the court, his clasped hands and forearms forming a giant cushion, the grin on his face mocking the defeated. A little more salt for the team with Rudy Gobert, Green’s favorite, despised player and the victim of the Warriors’ reverse pick-and-roll.

With the arena in turmoil and after throwing the Timberwolves out of the building with a thumb over his shoulder, Green made the “Night!” Night!” again, this time in the form of a pose, with a wide stance and a hard grimace.

EVERY angle of Dray’s “Night, Night” dunk 💤 pic.twitter.com/URkZ0urhII

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 9, 2024

It’s a win and only the second in eight games. This is about a team that has beaten them in five straight games and that they have to see again this month in Minnesota. But this wasn’t about the Timberwolves. That was survival energy.

The artificial intensity of the NBA Cup was not in play. And placing in the playoffs is still a long way off. And despite another duel between Curry and Anthony Edwards – one of the NBA’s future pillars – this affair at Chase Center didn’t start off with much game spirit. It wasn’t even on national television.

But it was a monster game for the Warriors. A validation game. A viability game.

Curry was in elite form. A second attack on Minnesota’s plan against him produced much better results. His 30 points and eight assists were emblematic of the fits he caused the Timberwolves.

But the Warriors eventually beat Minnesota because Buddy Hield caught fire. Because Jonathan Kuminga got to work in the paint. Because against the second-place team in the Western Conference, Curry was not alone in the Warriors’ offense.

Why did it work that evening? Why now? It was easy.

The Warriors went deep eight times. All eight logged at least 20 minutes. The roles were defined and clear. The players had time to “calm down,” the word Hield used frequently. The urgency led Golden State to refine, pare down, and concentrate its resources. The depth that fueled their hot start is still there, but it can’t be harnessed all at once.

With simplification came clarity. And with clarity came production. And with production came the belief that they could hold their own.

What they need is clear: someone who will punish his opponents for the attention they give Curry. Someone who poses a big enough problem to divert attention from Curry so he can do his thing with fewer restrictions.

When they get it, they’re pretty good. Hield playing 35 minutes gave him a chance to find his rhythm and he caught fire, finishing the game with seven three-pointers that gave him 27 points. Kuminga, whose ground was spread out with riflemen and only one was tall, charged and charged. He scored 17 of his 20 points in the zone or at the free throw line.

They showed what strength is on the table when they get a reliable offense alongside Curry, especially from someone who can throw offense at himself and others. It is clear within the franchise that the Warriors need another player. Someone who can get a bucket. Someone who would thrive with Curry protecting his face and essentially getting the space of a four-on-four player. Someone who can hunt matchups and add variety to the Warriors’ offense.

But can they hold out before finding such a player?

The Warriors finished fifth in the Western Conference on Sunday. They have 27 games (which count towards their record) remaining before the trade deadline on February 6th. Can they get to 16-11 at this stage to maintain their pace of around 50 wins?

Trades typically occur closer to the trade deadline. As long as teams have time, they tend to use it. Or desperate teams may overpay for an earlier move or risk missing out on bigger prizes when teams have to make difficult decisions.

Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy has shown no willingness to take a deal he may not like in order to reap immediate returns. So it’s a safe bet that the Warriors will keep playing until they get something optimal. That means they’ll probably have to stay that way until options improve.

Can Hield make enough 3s if his minutes remain consistent? He is 37 of 84 from 3-point range when playing at least 27 minutes.

Can Kuminga continue to apply pressure? He averages 19.3 points when playing 25 minutes or more. His furious dunk was the highlight of a night that seemed to show Kuminga figuring out where to do the most damage. The Warriors hope so.

Golden State is in good shape defensively. Green’s health is a constant concern, especially as the current urgency may require more minutes from him at center. But even without that, Kevon Looney has been outstanding so far this season. Andrew Wiggins is always good on the outside.

And Gary Payton put in a clear performance against Anthony Edwards, who went 1-for-7 from the field in the fourth quarter.

“Against GP you have to work hard,” said Kuminga. “What people don’t know is that GP is really strong. If he puts his hands on your hips, he is strong and can control you. So you have to work really hard to get free.”

The problem was on offense. When the Warriors make 3s, it looks great. But if they don’t, it’s difficult to score.

That’s why Sunday’s win was significant. The last three times the Timberwolves came to the Bay, they were downright stifling. They are a matchup nightmare for Golden State. They have young, long, athletic wings that defend like they’re saving a life. They have a four-time Defensive Player of the Year guarding the rim and waiting for anyone to get past the Perimeter Hounds.

The Warriors’ counterpoint to such an offense is Curry’s brilliance and the seriousness it inspires. That hasn’t been enough lately. They had lost six of their last seven because they didn’t have enough outside of Curry in the fourth quarter when good teams showed up.

A concern big enough to make you wonder if their hot start was just a mirage. A concern big enough to question their status as one of the Western Conference’s better teams deserving of a playoff spot.

So the urgency of the evening emerged organically. The Warriors scored 44 points in the third quarter and then made every play to hold off their nemesis.

“It’s just a matter of organizing how we try to make shots,” Curry said, “who has the ball in their hands, where everyone is spaced so that the puzzle pieces fit together.” … We have to make the game as simple as make possible. When we get into trouble the chaos creates confusion and then you start turning the ball over and that affects morale, the other team enjoys that and the dynamic changes quickly. We controlled every possession, I threw a turnover at the start of the fourth, and after that it didn’t feel like we had more because we were just organized.”

Organized in this sense means that everyone knows when they are playing and where they will be when they are out. On Sunday, the Warriors spread the Timberwolves out and relied heavily on pick-and-rolls. Minnesota’s aggressive defense makes dribbling handoffs along the sidelines difficult.

The shooters know where they have to score points. The roll man knows where and when to cut. The ball handler has the time and space to work – as the Warriors’ philosophy of making a decision in half a second fades into the background.

Green’s dagger dunk was so fitting.

He crossed the line several times and crawled toward Gobert, who was defending Green way out on the perimeter. Green knew what was coming, so he dribbled between his legs almost playfully, waiting for it to happen so he could lull Gobert to sleep.

Hield was on the right wing, keeping Edwards from helping. Kuminga was in the right corner, Payton in the left. As Curry set up the screen, the options came to life. Kuminga came out of the corner, and by the time Julius Randle committed to the drive, Kuminga was already striking. Payton was deep in the left corner, a spot where he’s most likely to make a 3 – or sneak out the back door if Nickeil Alexander-Walker loses sight of him. When Jaden McDaniels switched Curry to Green, Curry was open behind the 3-point line and ready for the dump-back pass.

But Green kept it simple. He saw the alley and exploded. He beat Minnesota with a right-handed dunk. And perhaps the warriors reawakened.

(Top photo of Draymond Green during the “Night! Night” celebration after his dunk in the fourth quarter on Sunday: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)