The shorthanded Golden State Warriors pulled off an unlikely win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Despite Stephen Curry missing out, he still managed to impact the game from the sidelines. The cameras captured a glimpse of the Dubs veteran whispering to Brandin Podziemski. And the latter’s late-game clutch effort was crucial in ruining a 35-point night for Nikola Jokic. Podziemski didn’t hesitate to shed light on what that advice was soon after.

“[Curry] He just told me to be decisive,” Podziemski told the media. ”Whatever I choose to do, he was like, ‘Shoot whatever shots you want to shoot. But just be decisive about doing it,’ and I think that helped. Usually, a lot of times when teams switch, we get a little stagnant and indecisive. So it was just attacking switches if they were going to do it… He just said, ‘Just be decisive in what you do, and whatever you do, we’ll live with it.”’

The Warriors took a 12-point lead in the first quarter. However, the Nuggets flipped the script in the next two quarters, outscoring them 74-56. With the Dubs trailing by six points, Podziemski came in clutch and scored 15 of the Warriors’ 33 points on a perfect 6 of 6 shooting. The third-year guard had scored just three points in the first three quarters of the game on 1 of 10 shooting.

Podziemski, who had a game-high plus-19 in 37 minutes, finished the game with 18 points, a career-high 15 rebounds, and nine assists, just missing his first NBA triple-double.

“I made some shots and felt a little bit like I was in a flow state,” Podziemski said, referencing a term that’s synonymous with Curry.

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With Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Kristaps Porzingis out, the Dubs fielded just nine players in the game, and seven of them scored in double digits. They also torched the Nuggets’ defense, converting 51% of their field goal attempts, including 40% from the 3-point line. The Warriors’ win comes as conversations about shutting down Curry are picking up amid what is largely perceived as a failed season for the Dubs.

Steve Kerr sternly dismisses the idea of shutting down Stephen Curry for the season

Just a game after Kristaps Porzingis made his debut in a Warriors uniform, he was ruled out for the Nuggets game with illness, possibly because of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome that he has been dealing with for a year. This was a harsh reality check for the Dubs. They had hoped for Porzingis to be healthy going into the latter phase of the regular season. His illness may put a ceiling on the team’s 2025-26 season, while Green’s durability problems are also emerging.

Realistically, the Warriors may not have quality depth to compete deep into the postseason, with or without Curry. The sharpshooter is turning 38 next month, and fielding him without another certified playmaker/floor general by his side is not beneficial. Given his lingering runner’s knee injury, there has been speculation to shut Curry down for the rest of the season. However, Steve Kerr didn’t like the idea even one bit.

“Well, what are we protecting him for? We’re not going to do anything silly, obviously,” Kerr said recently. “We are protecting him. But as soon as he’s healthy, he’s going to play. That’s what this is about. We have lots to play for. We’re right in the mix in the playoffs. This is an injury that’s been nagging. It’s not like this is something that’s going to hurt him next year if we put him out there now.”

“It’s just injury management,” Kerr reiterated. “As soon as he’s healthy and ready to go, he’ll be out there.”

After an extension in his return timeline after the All-Star break, Curry confirmed that he was “feeling good” even though he’d have liked to return sooner.

Bear in mind that Kerr’s contract expires in the summer. Considering the negative backlash from the Jonathan Kuminga saga and the way it was handled internally, the Dubs’ management might decide not to renew his deal, despite Curry being under contract for another season.