Preview: One more miracle please!
Curry, Green, and Warriors showed up big, now they must do it again
I was just coming home from one of those deflating days at the office. It’s not so much that any of these obstacles are insurmountable, but just one of those days where looking up at the hill feels daunting. There were plenty of brooding thoughts and some parallels to the low expectations/high performance outcome Warriors game that I was feverishly trying to wrap my head around. And then, as I sat down to write as much of this preview as I could before dinner, there it was at the top of the page.
A new, unexpected Explain 1 Play!? Yes!
You don’t need to watch it right now, but you should. It feels like home to me. And - much like that beautiful serendipity win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday - it will leave you feeling absolutely elated.
There have been many games with higher stakes, but few have held as much pure, visceral joy as last night’s cathartic game. A healing of the heart and soul, all from this silly little game of basketball. Tonight’s contest is a big one too, but both of these games have been defined by an unshackled fearlessness fed by a team with nothing left to prove to anyone, not even themselves. This is just all about showing up properly in the opportunity. The crusty, quiet ronin that wandered into town with an old sword and nothing to lose.
This definitely isn’t the most talented Warriors roster, but it’s one of the most dangerous, especially when it comes to tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns, and heel, Dillon Brooks.
The Golden State Warriors are simply out to do damage, one game at a time.
GAME DETAILS
WHO: Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns
WHEN: Friday, April 17th, 2026; 7pm PST
WATCH: Amazon Prime ←weird channel alert!
This is why Steph came back
Curry’s 35 points in 36 minutes will go down in the books… or at least the minds of old fans that will be bringing this up in barbershops for the next 50 years or so. He’s had more impressive games, and definitely done so on bigger stages than the NBA’s fledging Play-In Tournament (sponsored by Totinos Party Pizza, or something).
But this game was a stark reminder of how well Curry’s game is aging. That wasn’t the performance of a guy about to retire. And maybe more importantly, he and Green demonstrated that the old magic hasn’t dried up just yet. Through the first half, Curry looked gassed. The game was tight, and so were his legs as he jogged around on his way to eight points before halftime.
After watching old pal, Andrew Wiggins provide a ton of value in Miami’s ultimate losing effort the night before, it was comforting seeing the Warriors’ role players providing so much boost across the board. Kristaps Porzingis and Gui Santos both pitched in 20 points and Brandin Podziemski had 17. Porzingis in particular looked extra hungry, aggressively attacking the rims, balancing out that tough first half of Curry’s.
And then, it came. The 3rd quarter flurry. Curry rained in 16 points. Shooting 6 of 8 overall, 3 of 4 from deep, it was classic Steph. During his stretch of playing time, he accounted for all but two of the team’s points.
Curry started with a reverse layup, added a floater and then came off a Draymond Green screen for a four-point play, going on a personal 8-0 run. He would add a step-back mid-range jumper and two 3-pointers to cap a microwave stretch.
“It was a beautiful display of competitive will,” Head Coach Steve Kerr said of Curry’s performance. “This is why Steph came back. This is what he does, who he is — if he can compete, he’s going to compete.”
The Warriors have learned a lot about how to play, and who to sign alongside Curry, and this season’s load of hungry youth and wily veterans delivered in a big way. We’ll get to Horford’s contributions in a moment, but if this section of the story is about Curry, and why he bothered to come back for a game so low on the scale of importance that the league doesn’t even count the stats.1
Draymond Green has always served as a Yin-Yang balance. But as I watched the end of the game unfold - stifling Kawhi on that inbounds play; poking away the ball during a pivotal drive - it was super clear that Dray gets up for these games too. Never forget that his career high in scoring (by a mile) came in that Game 7 loss to the Cavs. He responds to what he thinks the team needs.
Well, on Wednesday, it was tenacious defense. And an unrelenting serving of it. There’s a parallel here with Alysa Liu’s story. No, Golden State didn’t retire and then come back, but there was something about this performance that somehow felt like it was just for the players themselves. Legacy? Set. Haters? Crushed.
And yet, the love of the game is still there, strong as ever. And beyond that, the pure, sweet love for telling everyone to just shut up and watch.
Strength in Numbers may be cheesy, but it’s an apt slogan for the Warriors in this era. Curry and Green opened the door, but Horford’s perfect 4th quarter (4 of 4 from deep) were the doorbell, announcing to anyone in range that this team may be low in the standings, but that’s not gonna matter one bit in the post season.
And now it’s on to Phoenix. Another chance to prove that none of this is a fluke, that this weird, scrappy, unbothered version of the Warriors is very real and very dangerous. The stakes are higher, the lights are brighter, and the margin for error is basically gone - and that’s exactly where this group seems to come alive. They’re not here to measure themselves or manage expectations anymore.
They’re here to swing.
Prediction
If Wednesday night felt like a release, tonight feels like a warning. Show up, or get run over.
Steph has one of those “oh right, he’s still that guy” stretches in the second half, Draymond flips the game with defense, and one of the role guys hits a couple backbreaking shots that make no sense but feel inevitable. It won’t be comfortable, and it probably won’t be pretty; but that’s kind of the point right now.
Dubs win.
MUSIC FRIDAY!
I don’t know about you. But this week has been pretty grueling for me (Warriors win aside, of course) and I am extremely ready for the weekend. Why is the world like this?
Eh, whatever, let’s dance!
Here’s a cool little band out of LA that may not be for everyone, but you should check it out. On the other hand, I remember telling someone how much I hate grapefruit, and then had to endure a bunch of “bro, try this one, it’s so fresh and good!” But it’s still made out of grapefruit. Anyways. Have some ska?
Well, the NBA does count the stats - otherwise how would we know who won? But these statistics aren’t catalogued into anything. These games are the league equivalent of limbo, where teams await their fate.