Steph Curry knew Dennis Schröder didn’t have the best first impression of the Warriors more than three quarters after his team debut.

As Golden State’s leader, Curry delivered a message to the newly acquired veteran guard midway through the fourth quarter during the Warriors’ lopsided loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.

That message proved true about 48 hours later in Minnesota, as Golden State earned a much-needed 113-103 win over the Timberwolves on Saturday at Target Center.

“I told him midway through the fourth quarter in Memphis, ‘This is not what you expect every night,'” Curry told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Bonta Hill, Chris Mullin and Festus Ezeli on “Warriors Postgame Live.”

“Luckily that came true tonight.”

Curry was right, and he was a big part of the Warriors’ 15th win of the season, scoring a game-high 31 points, 12 of which came in the final 3:10 of the game.

STEPH WITH 11 CONSECUTIVE DUBS POINTS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/71BTPdUXyV

– Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 22, 2024

But Schröder also deserves credit for getting the best out of Golden State’s bench, especially Brandin Podziemski, as Curry’s new backcourt partner.

“That’s the hope, right,” Curry said of Schröder coming off the bench. “We talked about incorporating Dennis into what we do but adapting to what he does. I think it helps in two ways: ball handling and playmaking.”

Schröder finished his second game with the team with nine points, three assists and two rebounds, while Podziemski contributed 12 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes of play.

Schröder sprints to the edge 🙌 pic.twitter.com/mvwarwrupr

– Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 22, 2024

The Warriors’ bench outscored their Timberwolves counterparts by nine points, with Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga combining for 22 points.

“(Schröder is) a guy who can set up, finish and create the offense,” Curry added. “It helped (Brandin Podziemski) a little bit because it allowed him to do all the other things that he does so well on the court. “His energy.

“He got a couple offensive rebounds, a tip layup in the fourth quarter and was just active and engaged. We all share responsibilities and now Dennis is part of it.”

With the message brought to life, Curry and Co. can only hope — for the sake of victory — that Schröder’s two-way game becomes a constant.

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