The Golden State Warriors got a little revenge on Sunday evening. After losing a non-competitive game to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, the Dubs turned the tables and won a thriller 114-106 against the Wolves on Sunday. Despite Andrew Wiggins being sidelined with an ankle injury, the Warriors looked impressive on both ends of the field.

Now let’s rate the players. As always, grades are based on my expectations for each player, with a grade of “B” representing that player’s average performance.

Note: True Shooting Percentage (TS) is a scoring efficiency metric that takes three-pointers and free throws into account. Heading into Sunday’s games, the league average TS was 57.4%.

Gary Payton II

27 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, 4-for-8 shots, 0-for-2 three-pointers, 0-for-1 free throws, 47, 4% TS, +1

Payton was given the exciting task of moving into the starting lineup and defending Anthony Edwards with Wiggins sidelined. Edwards still got his points, but that was mostly because he made some incredibly difficult shots and had a great night from distance, going 5 of 9. Payton made life so difficult for the All-Star scorer and was one of the main reasons why Edwards had six turnovers.

GPII also provided a good amount of offense, and its defense only got better in the final minutes as Golden State tried to put the game away…including the game-winning steal and outlet that led to a dagger three-pointer from Buddy Hield.

You couldn’t ask for a much better defense.

Grade: A

Jonathan Kuminga

36 minutes, 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, 7-for-16 shooting, 1-for-4 three-pointers, 5-for-8 free throws, 51, 2% TS, +8

It wasn’t the most efficient scoring night for Kuminga, but I’m hard pressed to find much criticism of his performance. The Warriors are asking him to isolate a lot, and that will naturally come with a lower shooting percentage, even before taking into account the fact that the Timberwolves have a great defense.

After struggling on the glass on Friday, JK was heavily involved in the rebounding battle on Sunday, and it was one of his best defensive performances of the year. Perhaps most importantly, his biggest plays seemed to come when the team needed them most, with some brilliant plays from both sides in the closing stages.

Grade: A-

Draymond Green

31 minutes, 6 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 block, 3 turnovers, 5 fouls, 3-for-5 shooting, 0-for-1 three-pointers, 60.0% TS, -2

Green was reinserted into the starting lineup without Wiggins. The Warriors have been clear that Dray won’t start every game at center, but my goodness is he’s a weapon if they decide to go that route. He was in foul trouble for most of the evening and had a few header losses, but otherwise it was a spectacular game from Green. In terms of Payton’s brilliance, I would argue that Dray was the defensive catalyst in an outstanding defensive game.

Grade: B+

Buddy Hield

35 minutes, 27 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 turnover, 2 fouls, 10-for-18 shooting, 7-for-13 three-pointers, 75.0% TS, +17

Hield can be insanely inconsistent, but for games like this it’s worth it. He got the starting job as the Warriors were looking for a little more offense in the starting unit following Wiggins’ departure. And Hield made the most of it, reminding everyone that he could catch fire at any time.

Part of the puzzle for the Warriors this year is finding ways to not rely too heavily on Hield’s offense as it comes and goes, and instead simply capitalize on it when it arrives. Because it can be truly groundbreaking.

I also thought this was his best defensive game of the year. He was in the game the entire game and was also able to knock down timely shots.

Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Best plus/minus on the team.

Steph Curry

35 minutes, 30 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers, 8-for-18 shooting, 5-for-11 three-pointers, 9-for-11 free throws, 65.7% TS, +14

Curry hasn’t looked quite like himself this year, but other than the two missed free throws, this has been real Steph. He struggled to find space in the first quarter, but he made a big breakthrough in the second quarter, playing defense, attacking with and without the ball, and having a tremendous sense of the moment.

He really hasn’t been that aggressive with the ball this year, so it was great to see him break through the defense and either finish at the rim or make free throws (and in some cases both). It was his first time this year that he shot double-digit free throws and only his third time that he shot more than six free throws. Seeing that part of his game come back was great.

It also helped his playmaking as he had some brilliant passes, especially in the pick-and-roll.

Grade: A
Post-game bonus: Led the team in points and assists.

Moses Moody

5 minutes, 2 points, 1 rebound, 1-for-4 shooting, 0-for-2 three-pointers, 25.0% TS, -4

For the second straight game, Moody suffered a minor knee injury before halftime and did not play in the second half. Heal, Moses.

Note: Please be okay
Post-game bonus: The worst plus/minus on the team.

Brandin Podziemski

20 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 fouls, 2-for-5 shooting, 2-for-4 three-pointers, 60.0% TS, -2

Podziemski’s three-pointer is starting to get going again, which is great to see. This was a remarkably controlled game for Podz, who has been much better since his public criticism from Steve Kerr. He did a little bit of everything, even if he didn’t do much.

Grade: B

Lindy Waters III

22 minutes, 0 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 fouls, 0-for-5 shooting, 0-for-3 three-pointers, 0.0% TS, +1

Waters is currently in quite a crisis. In his last four games, he is 0-for-2 from two-point range and 4-for-20 from three-point range. Still, this was a game in which he did a lot outside of shooting, which isn’t usually the case with Waters.

He had an active game with some brilliant passes and put a lot of work into defense and rebounding. Still, it will be difficult for a shooter who doesn’t score a goal and commits four fouls to have a positive impact on the game.

Grade: C-

Kevon Looney

21 minutes, 12 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 6-for-8 shooting, 75.0% TS, +5

An absolutely brilliant game for Looney. Kerr opted to have Green start at the five and bring Looney off the bench, with Trayce Jackson-Davis a healthy DNP. Looney was an absolute beast on the boards and played spectacular defense. He was a key reason the Dubs won the third quarter by 12 points, turning a big deficit into a lead. He had to play heavy minutes (especially in this frame) after Green got into foul trouble.

It’s crazy to think that at one point there was a question about whether the Warriors would bring him back this year.

Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds.

Kyle Anderson

8 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 fouls, 1-for-3 shooting, 1-for-1 three-pointers, 50.0% TS, +2

Just a consistent performance for Anderson. No great pieces, no bad pieces, lots of good pieces. It’s a valuable thing to rely on off the bench, whether it’s two minutes or 20.

Grade: B

DNPs from Sunday: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Gui Santos, Pat Spencer
Inactive on Sunday: Reece Beekman, De’Anthony Melton, Quinten Post, Andrew Wiggins