Stephen Curry reminded the NBA on Wednesday night that greatness does not fade quietly. The 38-year-old Golden State Warriors guard poured in a season-high 44 points, tying LeBron James for the most 40-point games after turning 35 in league history, as the Warriors survived a furious Minnesota comeback to beat the Timberwolves 119-114 at Target Center in Minneapolis. It was Golden State's second straight victory after an 0-3 start to the season, and Minnesota's second straight defeat after a 3-0 start, in the Timberwolves' first game without injured star Anthony Edwards.

Curry finished with 44 points on 11-of-27 shooting, including six three-pointers, and went a perfect 16 of 16 from the free-throw line. He added eight rebounds, six assists and two steals in 32 minutes, and he scored when the Warriors needed him most, at the start of the second quarter and again in the closing minutes, as a 24-point lead nearly slipped away.

Key Points

• Stephen Curry scored a season-high 44 points as the Golden State Warriors beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-114 on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at Target Center in Minneapolis.
• Curry's 44 points marked his 15th 40-point game since turning 35, tying LeBron James for the most such games in NBA history.
• Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg added 26 points and nine rebounds for Golden State, which won its second straight game after opening the season 0-3.
• Minnesota played its first game without Anthony Edwards, who is expected to miss about two months after arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
• Jonathan Kuminga scored 20 points against his former team to lead the Timberwolves, who fell to 3-2 after starting the season 3-0.

What Happened

The Warriors took control early and looked ready to run away with the game. Golden State closed the first quarter on a 21-9 run to grab a 30-23 advantage, with De'Anthony Melton knocking down a pair of three-pointers and Lendeborg adding a driving layup and a three-pointer of his own. The lead grew to 64-48 by halftime, and when Curry converted a three-point play midway through the third quarter, Golden State led 78-54, its largest advantage of the night.

Minnesota refused to fold. The Timberwolves closed the third quarter on a 27-15 run to cut the deficit to 93-81 entering the fourth, and they outscored the Warriors 66-55 in the second half. Trailing 116-112 in the final minute, Minnesota had multiple chances to make it a one-possession game, but Jaden McDaniels missed two shots from deep. Bones Hyland made a bank shot to trim the deficit to three points in the final seconds, but Curry ended the scoring with two free throws, sealing the 119-114 win. Curry and Lendeborg combined for 17 of Golden State's 26 points in the fourth quarter.

The quarter-by-quarter scores told the story of a game of two halves: Golden State won the first quarter 30-23 and the second 34-25, before Minnesota took the third 33-29 and the fourth 33-26. The Warriors' early cushion, built on ball movement and Curry's shooting, proved just enough.

Background/Context

Golden State arrived in Minneapolis desperate for momentum. The Warriors had lost their first three games of the season, and Curry had not scored more than 24 points in any of them. Monday's win over the Denver Nuggets, in which Curry produced a perfect shooting night and Lendeborg recorded a career-high 31 points and 12 rebounds, offered a first sign of life. Wednesday's victory confirmed it: the Warriors are 2-3, with back-to-back wins and a growing belief that their early-season struggles are behind them.

Minnesota, by contrast, faced a new reality. The Timberwolves announced on Tuesday that Edwards would miss extended time after arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, with an expected absence of about two months. Edwards had averaged 33.3 points through Minnesota's first four games, and he was the engine of a 3-0 start. Wednesday was the first test of how the Timberwolves would look without him, and for long stretches the answer was encouraging: they fought back from 24 points down and gave themselves a chance to win in the final minute. But without their top scorer, they could not quite finish the job, and they have now lost two in a row.

The game also carried a personal subplot. Kuminga, drafted seventh overall by Golden State in 2021, faced his former team and led Minnesota with 20 points. He was traded to Atlanta midway through last season before signing with Minnesota as a free agent in September, and he played with visible energy against the franchise that drafted him.

Stephen Curry 44 Points: The Flurry That Turned the Night

Curry's night began slowly. He started 2 of 8 from the field, and for a while it looked like another quiet evening for the four-time NBA champion. Then, about three minutes into the second quarter, he pulled up and connected on his first three-pointer. He drained another on Golden State's next possession and shouted at the Warriors' bench, which loved every second of it.

What followed was the kind of burst only Curry can produce. He connected on six of his next eight shots, pouring in 19 points as the Warriors built their 64-48 halftime lead. The highlight was a 17-point flurry in the span of six minutes, capped by a heat-check 31-footer that found the bottom of the net. At 38 years old, Curry remains capable of bending a game in minutes, and Wednesday was the latest proof.

The milestone matters beyond one box score. With his first 40-point game of the season, Curry recorded his 15th 40-point game since turning 35, tying LeBron James for the most in NBA history. It is a mark that speaks to longevity as much as scoring talent: very few players in league history have remained this dangerous this late in their careers, and Curry is now sharing the record with the player most associated with defying age in the modern game.

Curry delivered in a different fashion down the stretch. After the scoring explosion of the second quarter, he closed the game at the free-throw line, calm and precise, finishing 16 of 16 from the stripe. When Minnesota threatened to complete one of the comebacks of the young season, Curry made sure it did not.

Reactions/Quotes

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has watched Curry for more than a decade, and he was not surprised by any of it. "I just see him doing what Steph Curry does," Kerr said after the 119-114 win. "I've been watching him for so long that it never surprises me when he gets hot. What makes him special is it can happen at any time."

The rest of the box score backed up Kerr's point about timing. Lendeborg, the 24-year-old rookie and Michigan national champion, followed his 31-point breakout against Denver with 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting and nine rebounds in 35 minutes, despite dealing with left foot inflammation and soreness on Wednesday morning and afternoon leading into the game. He did struggle with turnovers, leading the Warriors with seven, but his chemistry with Curry is already drawing attention, with some observers noting that he looks like a new running mate for the veteran guard. Brandon Williams was the only other Warrior in double figures, with 11 points off the bench in 14 minutes.

For Minnesota, the supporting numbers showed both promise and a gap. McDaniels and Terrence Shannon Jr. each scored 19 points, Ayo Dosunmu added 17, and LaMelo Ball struggled from the floor for a second straight game, finishing with eight points on 3-of-11 shooting, though he handed out eight assists. Rudy Gobert scored just one point on 0-of-4 shooting with four rebounds in 20 minutes. Draymond Green, meanwhile, stuffed the stat sheet for Golden State with three points, nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks.

Why It Matters

For Golden State, this win is about more than one night in Minneapolis. The Warriors opened the season 0-3, and early-season slides can harden into narratives quickly in the NBA. Two straight wins, led by Curry rediscovering his scoring touch and a rookie playing with remarkable composure, change the conversation. If Lendeborg continues to produce at this level, Golden State suddenly has a second scoring option that defenses must respect, which in turn creates more space for Curry. That is the formula the Warriors have ridden to championships before, and it is beginning to take shape again.

For Minnesota, the loss is a warning and a reassurance at the same time. The warning is obvious: life without Edwards will be hard. He was averaging 33.3 points per game, and no single player on the roster can replace that production. The reassurance is that the Timberwolves did not collapse. They trailed by 24 points, kept playing, and nearly stole a game against a team with championship pedigree. Kuminga's 20 points against his former club, McDaniels' and Shannon's contributions, and a second-half surge of 66 points suggest a team that can stay competitive while its star recovers, provided it can find late-game scoring.

For the wider league, Curry's milestone is a reminder of the era fans are still living through. Curry and James, both deep into their late 30s, continue to set standards that younger stars chase. Every 40-point night from Curry at 38 adds to a case that his prime has lasted longer than almost anyone predicted, and it keeps the Warriors relevant in a Western Conference that was supposed to have moved past them.

What Happens Next

The Warriors get Thursday night off before returning home to the Bay Area for a marquee Friday night matchup against Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center. That game will test whether Golden State's two-game winning streak is real, and whether Curry's scoring surge carries over against one of the league's glamour teams. The Lakers, for their part, beat the Los Angeles Clippers 103-87 on Wednesday, with Quentin Grimes scoring 23 points.

Minnesota hosts the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night, a chance to stop its two-game skid before it grows. The Timberwolves will also continue to adjust their rotation around Edwards' absence, with more minutes and more responsibility for Kuminga, McDaniels and Shannon. The next two months will define Minnesota's season: stay afloat without Edwards, and the Timberwolves can still be a factor in the West when he returns. Slip too far, and the climb back becomes steep.

Elsewhere on Wednesday's busy NBA slate, the Dallas Mavericks handed the Oklahoma City Thunder their first loss of the season, 120-96, behind 26 points, five rebounds and eight assists from Cooper Flagg. The New York Knicks outlasted the Chicago Bulls 133-127 behind 38 points from Jalen Brunson. Victor Wembanyama put up 36 points as the San Antonio Spurs slipped past the Utah Jazz 117-111 in overtime. The Houston Rockets blasted the Milwaukee Bucks 132-100, the Cleveland Cavaliers spoiled AJ Dybantsa's Washington debut 121-111, the Toronto Raptors routed the Orlando Magic 129-99, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Indiana Pacers 114-109, the Detroit Pistons beat the Charlotte Hornets 97-89, and the Denver Nuggets held off the New Orleans Pelicans 104-91 behind a Nikola Jokic triple-double of 21 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many points did Stephen Curry score against the Timberwolves?

Stephen Curry scored 44 points, a season high, on 11-of-27 shooting with six three-pointers and a perfect 16 of 16 from the free-throw line. He also had eight rebounds, six assists and two steals.

What record did Curry tie with his 44-point game?

Curry recorded his 15th 40-point game since turning 35, tying LeBron James for the most such games in NBA history.

Why was Anthony Edwards not playing for Minnesota?

Edwards is expected to miss about two months after arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, announced by the Timberwolves on Tuesday. He had averaged 33.3 points through Minnesota's first four games.

Who else stood out for the Warriors?

Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg scored 26 points with nine rebounds, following his 31-point, 12-rebound game against Denver. Brandon Williams added 11 points off the bench.

What is next for both teams?

The Warriors host the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at Chase Center, while the Timberwolves host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.

Related coverage on US News Pulse: Stephen Curry Perfect Night Powers Warriors Past Nuggets 134-114 for First Win, Heat Beat Hawks 129-117 as Giannis Earns First Miami Win and Adebayo Sets Record, and Thunder Beat Suns 125-114 as Mitchell's Career-High 30 Keeps OKC Perfect at 4-0.