After 23 seasons of defying time, LeBron James remains the NBA’s ultimate benchmark for a long time. At 40, the Akron Hammer has outlasted and surpassed entire generations. But one rare feat seems like a distant march. On Friday night, Stephen Curry reinforced that shift, returning from injury with a stunning 39-point performance against Minnesota.

The Baby Face Assassin didn’t show any backdrop from his quad injury. He nailed six triples and scored his most points in the dramatic fourth quarter. In doing so, he notched up his 94 game of scoring 35+ points since turning 30. He climbed to the top of the ladder past Michael Jordan.

LeBron James is still in the top five of that list. He has 81 such games. However, with him taking a quieter role with the Lakers this season, James will have to have a ridiculous scoring run to come near Curry. And the two-time MVP doesn’t look like he could stop anytime soon, making it hard for the King to catch up because there’s a lot more of this to come from the Warriors ace.

This was the second time in his last four games that Stephen Curry scored over 35 points. For this season, the 37-year-old is averaging 28.5 points on nearly 40% from beyond the arc. He’s the offensive fulcrum for the Warriors, who are yet to find a consistent string of scorers this season.

That played a big role in the Warriors failing to dispatch the Timberwolves tonight.

Stephen Curry couldn’t outshoot the Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves didn’t have Anthony Edwards and Mike Conley. Yet, when it mattered, their depth stepped up. The Warriors couldn’t contain their ball movement without Draymond Green managing the defense. The Timberwolves had 30 minutes, with just 10 turnovers forced by the Bay.

Julius Randle had his fourth consecutive 20+ point game, pitching in with a team-high 27 points in the win. DiVincenzo’s two clutch three-pointers ended up being the finishing touches for the Timberwolves’ brave execution. Against it, they also hounded the Warriors with their ball pressure.

They held the Warriors to shooting just 32.6% from three. Out of their 15 threes made, 10 came between Stephen Curry and Quinten Post. And the Warriors’ defense, which was competing as of late, also couldn’t show up. The Timberwolves shot 53.9% from the field. Without Green’s paint defense, Rudy Gobert ran wild, ending with a 24-point and 14-rebound performance against his nemesis’ team.

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The Warriors are now 13-13, still unable to find any consistent momentum to ride this season. They’ve lost six of their last ten, tonight’s loss coming at the Chase Center. With Stephen Curry back and Draymond Green also nearing his return, the Warriors will be back to full health once again.

With De’Anthony Melton and Seth Curry also joining, Steve Kerr has options to surround his core with a steady bench. Aside from Moses Moody, nobody from the bench scored double-digits. Finding another offensive pivot could be crucial in cutting-edge games separated by just a few points.

Where do you think the Warriors need to improve? Let us know your views in the comments below.