Moody's Golden moment has arrived in style, and in time
A message of patience, as Warriors close road trip with one last back-to-back
The Golden State Warriors are almost done with their big road trip and will come into these next two days feeling good about themselves. Despite a couple of setbacks, the Warriors have now won three in a row - two impressive wins over the San Antonio Spurs, and then another against the New Orleans Pelicans. The latter of which featured something the Warriors have been on the wrong side of all too often: some young guy blew up.
The old core had just sent a message to the Spurs - or managed to scrape together two wins by a combined total of just six points. The timing couldn’t have been better. A classic trap game where Curry went uncharacteristically cold (9 points on 11 shots) that would normally be expected to fall to Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green to save was instead rescued by a freakishly hot-shooting Moses Moody.
Now Golden State will put a finishing touch on their busy road trip with a game tonight in Orlando, followed by the Heat in Miami tomorrow. That Heat game could be an extra charged atmosphere, with Butler’s first return visit to Miami; and an always emotional sighting of DNHQ-beloved, Andrew Wiggins reunion, of course.
A couple of notes to watch for on the injury front tonight. Kuminga is still out with that knee issue. Not much additional detail provided by the team that I can find. This makes five days now (Kuminga last played in the first Spurs game before leaving with knee soreness) so we can expect to hear something soon. Also, old man Horford will be on his basketball veteran equivalent of dinner at five, home by six lifestyle; so will sit one of these two upcoming games.
GAME DETAILS
WHO: Golden State Warriors (9-6) at Orlando Magic (7-7)
WHEN: Tuesday, November 18th, 2025; 4pm PST
WATCH: NBCSBA
Montage of a Moody Dream Deferred
Just over a year ago, the Warriors inked Moses Moody to a reasonable 3-year contract extension worth around $39 million. Drafted in 2021 with the 14th pick, he and the Warriors agreed to stay the course. Moody was more dependable than electric, but solid enough in his 10-15 minutes a night. It was a safe bet for everyone. Golden State took a house money bet on one of their most important young players.
It was, and still remains, a stark contrast against players like Jonathan Kuminga and Klay Thompson - both who turned down contract offers from the Warriors that seemed to be reasonable on the surface (which is very much allowed, to be clear; no shade here).1 This is what it’s like chasing dreams though, it’s never entirely clear whether the hallucinations wake you up snorting as you roll onto the floor, or if they explode into a newly realized reality.
Of course, there will always be the second guesses. Players still on the draft board that turned into something better/sooner. And there’s a certain fun in that, too. But the purest form of being a sports fan is this stuff. Watching a player go from one of the most hilarious draft clips in memory…
…to what we saw in the last game? It’s magical.
Four games into this six game slog of a road trip, and Moses Moody showed up like Gandalf at first light on the fifth day. A shining savior delivering one of those reality-bending performances that Warriors fans have seen before from the Splash Brothers. Golden State is known for how highly they prize that secret sauce. Coach Steve Kerr has driven multiple players (and countless fans) crazy with his relentless and ongoing insistence on passing the ball around to everyone. But it’s against that backdrop that Moody has begun to blossom this season.
When the Warriors were reeling after that loss to the OKC Thunder, and Kerr and his staff knew they needed to make some changes, it was Moody into the starting lineup.2
On his way to his new career scoring high, Moody grabbed the game by the back of the neck with 7-8 shooting from three - ending up with 21 points in the first quarter alone. Curry? Ended the game with nine points.
This is the dream that the Warriors are chasing. It’s messy. And imprecise. There’s pitfalls everywhere, and a bunch of agendas and factors that are out of everyone’s control. But when it comes together like it did in that last game, it’s the pinnacle of the sports experience. The smashing through. The explosion of potential that is never guaranteed but will always be the ultimate purpose of this chase.
The funny thing about advancing through this life is that it can often feel all jumbly and disconnected, until it’s not. Maybe that’s why I always predict a win for these games; if nothing makes sense anyways, why not aim for the ideal outcome?
Listen to Moody talk about his personal-best shooting night. It’s a night that puts him up on the all-time Warriors leaderboard just behind the Splash Brothers, but the story that stuck out to me the most was this one about his uncle.
“That’s actually my first time having eight 3s,” Moody said. “I hit seven 3s, like, 30 times in my life. I’ve done that plenty of times. But I got an uncle that told me when I was young, the most he hit was eight, so I’ve been trying to get it my whole life, and he’s like put a curse on me. I’ve never gotten it, so I’ll probably give him this jersey or something, it’s cool.”
It wasn’t just Moody. The Warriors got better.
Moody’s breakout isn’t just feel-good theater - it has tangible roster consequences. With Kuminga sidelined, the Warriors lose a vertical athlete and a direct slasher; Moody’s hot shooting forces opponents to respect the perimeter and opens lanes for Curry in pick-and-roll space. If Seth Curry and De’Anthony Melton rejoin soon, players already in the rotation stabilize well enough to demand minutes, Golden State can stagger minutes to preserve Steph while keeping enough punch from the wings to survive nights when Curry is off.
But here comes the next wave. The crushing weight of responsibility will keep hammering at this franchise to do whatever they can to maximize Curry’s chance (Steph, this time) to earn another championship. More losses will inevitably come, and the Warriors will have to continue a frank stare down of their assets and best chances of improving. But for now, let’s just all bask in the beauty of the Moody dream, no longer deferred.
He’s here.
And no, maybe it’s not just in time; the team didn’t need saving, Curry and Green had just proven that - but it feels like the right time.
Prediction
Heat are pretty banged up, so my guess is Horford plays tonight. Moody has caught the scoring bug, and he and Curry will both be needed to beat the sneaky good Orlando Magic.
Dubs win. Four straight, party in the streets! Take my word for it.
yes, that’s a semicolon inside a parenthesis. AI can’t keep up with this writing!
Also important to credit Will Richard’s inspired play as a starter as well here. Another dream.