Throughout the 2025-26 NBA season, the Warriors have had their fair share of short-handed games. Sunday at Madison Square Garden was a whole new world.
More than $190 million in salary was unavailable for the Warriors. They had six guys from their 15-man roster active — all three of their players on two-way contracts, and a player signed recently to a 10-day contract that became official earlier during the day.
That’s it, and it didn’t deter the Warriors from another great effort in a 110-107 loss against the New York Knicks.
Brandin Podziemski (25), Quinten Post (22) and Gui Santos (20) all scored at least 20 points, and Gary Payton II gave Golden State 19 points off the bench. However, the Warriors also gave away 18 turnovers for 21 points. They were outrebounded 44-35, and the Knicks had nearly three times as many fastbreak points, 15-6.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was forced to use his 34th starting lineup, and 11th unique starting five in as many games.
Knicks star Jalen Brunson was too much to handle, scoring 30 points and dishing nine assists as New York’s main source of offense.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ fifth straight loss that dropped them to 32-35 on the season.
Fast Start Fades Away
At the 2:16 mark of the third quarter, the Knicks took a 77-75 lead on the Warriors. That marked the first time the Knicks had the lead since it was 9-8 in the first quarter. It was shocking to see how the Warriors started, and not shocking at all to see the Knicks eventually catch up.
Starting strong was a must for the Warriors to even have a chance, and they did exactly that. To the surprise of everybody, the Warriors held a 14-point lead, 35-21, after the first quarter. They caught fire early on, shooting 11 of 18 from the field and 5 of 11 from 3-point range while also going 8 of 10 at the free throw line. By halftime, the Warriors’ lead was down to nine.
The Warriors led 54-45 at halftime, in which they were shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 42.1 percent on threes. But they didn’t take a single free throw in the second quarter, and turnovers began piling up. The Knicks used a 20-8 run to cut the deficit and outscored the Warriors 24-19 in the second quarter. The third quarter wasn’t any better.
Coming out of halftime, the Knicks found another gear and outscored the Warriors 38-26 for the quarter. Conceding could have been the response from the Warriors. Instead, they searched for everything they had and made the game come down to the final seconds. Talent won out on a night the Warriors’ fight again couldn’t be questioned.
The Podz, Post & Payton Show
There was something magical about the Three P’s of The Warriors. They were the Warriors’ offense in so many ways. Nobody could have predicted the Warriors would have three 20-point scorers in a game where the Knicks only had one.
Podziemski for the second straight game scored at least 20 points. He was at his best when he was going downhill, aggressively under control. But with 24 seconds left and 16 still on the shot clock, Podziemski came up short on a stepback 3-point attempt as the Warriors were down by just one point.
While the rest of his teammates took six free throws, Podziemski attempted nine and made seven.
Sunday was a night to remember for Post. Questionable all day because of an ankle injury, Post scored a career-high 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting and went 4 of 10 beyond the arc. He made his most shots in a game for his career, and attempted his most as well. Whenever his 3-point shot is falling, it’s a good sign for the Warriors.
Somebody had to be the alpha on the Warriors’ thin bench. That somebody was Payton, whose 19 points were more than half of the 33 the Warriors’ reserves scored. He didn’t just do it sneaking behind the defense in the dunker spot, too; Payton also made three 3-pointers for the fourth time this season.
First Look At Yurtseven
The same day the Warriors signed him to a 10-day contract, Omer Yurtseven played his first NBA game since April 14, 2024, when he scored 11 points in 30 minutes as a member of the Utah Jazz. Ironically, that game of course came against the Warriors.
His stats weren’t quite the same his first game in a Warriors jersey. And how could they be? When Yurtseven first entered the game, he looked at a Warriors teammate and began whispering in his ears as if to say, “What do I do?” He didn’t look lost, but he did look like someone thrown into the fire on a new team.
Yurtseven, 27, was playing in his 114th NBA game and his first with Golden State across his chest. But it has been nearly two years since he has played in the league, and the adjustments had to have been a whirlwind. Yurtseven played 13 minutes off the bench and was scoreless on three shots, including one 3-point attempt from the right corner.
He still was able to grab four rebounds in limited time, and that always has been a positive skill of his. The Warriors need all the help they can get. Maybe Yurtseven is part of the solution. Even if it’s for the short term, we will see more of him, and the Warriors will need more of him.