Stephen Curry at 38 owns the NBA record with 94 regular-season games of eight or more threes, and the Golden State Warriors still have a reason to contend. Coach Steve Kerr should give Yaxel Lendeborg and Brandin Podziemski the offense when Curry sits. Lineups featuring both outscored opponents 159-133 across four wins, but 24 turnovers showed why Kerr needs a longer look before the front office shops for a wing.
Stephen Curry At 38 Is Scoring At An MVP Pace
Curry’s early numbers through November 7, 2026, included 31.3 points per game and 44.7% shooting from deep on 10.6 attempts across eight appearances. Curry posted 70.8% true shooting over that stretch, above the 66.9% from his unanimous MVP season. Curry hit five or more threes in five of those games and has averaged 4.8 made threes per game since turning 30. Curry scored 44 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 28, getting more than a third of his points by going 16-for-16 at the line.
Damian Lillard has 32 regular-season games with eight or more threes. Klay Thompson and James Harden have 24 and 23, respectively, and Luka Dončić’s 14 bring their combined total to 93. Curry reached 94 on October 30, when he scored 31 points and shot 8-for-14 from deep against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Warriors trailed by 25 before winning 112-95.
Golden State’s reserves outscored their counterparts 50-7 that night, with De’Anthony Melton leading the bench with 16 points. Curry and Podziemski combined for 18 points in the fourth quarter after Podziemski tied the game before halftime. The guard scored 21 and gave Curry another shooter on the floor.
The Winning Streak Shows The Upside And The Cost
The Warriors reached 7-3 through November 7 after seven straight wins, four of which required double-digit comebacks. Golden State still ranked 13th in net rating. Curry’s 41 points in a 126-119 overtime win against the Orlando Magic helped keep the streak alive. Curry passed LeBron James with his 16th 40-point game since turning 35.
The Magic grabbed 24 offensive boards, including the offensive rebound that led to the tying putback. Draymond Green found Lendeborg for a pull-up three with 3:26 left in the extra period, stretching the lead to five. Green finished with 13 assists and two points, handling the kind of setup work Lendeborg would help cover when Green sits. Closing lineups need players who can create those looks and secure the rebound after a stop.
Two Games Without Curry Offer A Better Test
The Warriors went 24-19 when Curry played in 2025-26, and the regular-season split fell to 13-26 across the 39 games he missed. Golden State’s offensive rating fell from 119.3 to 110.7 across those full-game samples. Opponent strength and changes in availability can skew the gap. Two early absences on back-to-backs showed what changes when the team has another ball handler available.
The Warriors lost 131-122 to the Phoenix Suns on October 24 with Curry, Green, Podziemski and Al Horford sitting. Lendeborg still produced 26 points and five assists, but Phoenix scored 26 points off turnovers and Devin Booker finished with 43. Golden State rested Curry and Green again against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 1, with Lendeborg scoring 37 in a 124-112 win. Podziemski played this time and finished with eight assists.
The Warriors recorded 32 team assists and made 22 threes, including six from Lendeborg, who also had six assists. Turnovers cost 14 points against the Clippers, down from 26 against the Suns, even though the turnover totals differed by only two. Golden State can take more from the possessions that got to the rim than from a night when 22 threes went in.
Podziemski found Lendeborg for a third-quarter lob at 8:03 after Melton’s back screen left Darius Garland on the rookie. Podziemski spotted the mismatch before help arrived and found Lendeborg for another layup 72 seconds later. The two possessions showed how the pair could create points on a colder shooting night.
What Lendeborg And Podziemski Did Without Curry
A November 4 Blue Man Hoop breakdown put the pair at plus-0.8 per 100 possessions across 156 shared minutes, including time with and without Curry. The review tracked the minutes without Curry in the October 26 win, the Los Angeles comeback, the November 1 win, and the Miami Heat game. The gamebooks yielded 60 minutes and 51 seconds together without him.
The offense scored 122.2 points per 100 estimated possessions during those minutes and committed 18.4 turnovers per 100. The possession estimate adds field-goal attempts, turnovers, and 44% of free-throw attempts, then subtracts offensive rebounds. The Lakers outscored the pair’s lineup 7-1 in its first stretch without Curry, forcing three turnovers. A third-quarter stretch reversed the pattern with a 16-6 edge and zero turnovers.
A 14-point edge against the Denver Nuggets accounted for more than half the 26-point margin. The four-game sample includes only wins. A longer look in close games would help Kerr judge whether the offense can still get to the paint when the first action breaks down.
The Extension Gives Kerr A Rotation Decision
The Warriors signed Curry to a reported extension worth $116 million over two years, beginning in 2027-28. Curry holds the player option for 2028-29, and Stadium Rant’s extension analysis covered the discount he accepted. Golden State also gave Podziemski a five-year extension, giving Kerr a reason to test how much creation the guard can handle now.
Jimmy Butler III remains a potential answer against switches, but the November 9 report listed him out following right ACL surgery. Kerr should open Curry’s second-quarter rest with Podziemski bringing the ball up and Lendeborg working from the elbow against switches. When Curry draws two defenders late, Lendeborg can catch at the foul line and find Podziemski cutting behind the rotation.
End Of My Stephen Curry At 38 Rant
Stephen Curry at 38 gives the Warriors a reason to spend, and Kerr can help determine where to spend it. Give the young pair second-quarter minutes against opposing starters and track whether its turnover rate falls from 18.4%. Paint touches can show whether the offense is creating better shots, while defensive rebounds show whether the lineup can finish stops.
Repeated late-clock jumpers should move trade talks forward if the pair struggles to get into the paint. Golden State should target a wing who can attack closeouts and make the next pass. Defensive rebounding should separate otherwise comparable options, especially after the extra possessions that nearly cost the team against Orlando.
