LOS ANGELES - Stephen Curry was sidelined again Saturday when the Golden State Warriors played the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
LeBron James was active and effective. 

Curry watched his longtime rival post 20 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists as the shorthanded Warriors battled their way to a 105-99 defeat. Head coach Steve Kerr said pregame that Curry is doubtful with (right) runner's knee to play Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies - and that he could be out through the All-Star break, though he doesn't yet know. 

Moses Moody led Golden State with 25 points and five 3-pointers. Gui Santos supplied 15 points and eight rebounds and Pat Spencer added 14 points and seven assists as the Warriors shot 14-for-51 from 3-point range.

Rui Hachimura had 18 points for the Lakers, who were without star guard Luka Doncic. 

Lakers 105, Warriors 99

Percentages: FG .424, FT .636.

3-Point Goals: 14-51, .275 (Moody 5-14, Spencer 2-5, Green 2-6, Podziemski 2-7, Payton II 1-2, Santos 1-4, Melton 1-6, Post 0-1, Richard 0-2, Horford 0-4).

Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: 1.

Blocked Shots: 3 (Horford 2, Moody).

Turnovers: 12 (Horford 3, Melton 3, Green 2, Payton II, Podziemski, Richard, Spencer).

Steals: 16 (Melton 5, Moody 3, Payton II 2, Podziemski 2, Green, Horford, Santos, Spencer).

Technical Fouls: Green, 12:00 third.

Percentages: FG .507, FT .800.

3-Point Goals: 11-27, .407 (Hachimura 4-5, Vanderbilt 2-3, Kennard 2-4, L.James 2-7, Smart 1-2, Kleber 0-1, Reaves 0-2, LaRavia 0-3).

Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: 1.

Blocked Shots: 10 (LaRavia 2, Smart 2, Hachimura, Hayes, Kleber, L.James, Reaves, Vanderbilt).

Turnovers: 22 (L.James 7, Reaves 5, LaRavia 4, Kennard 2, Hachimura, Kleber, Smart, Vanderbilt).

Steals: 7 (Reaves 2, Vanderbilt 2, Hayes, Kennard, L.James).

Technical Fouls: None.

A_18,997 (18,997).

The Warriors (28-25) turned to small-ball again with Curry sidelined for a third straight game, starting Spencer, Moody, De'Anthony Melton and Santos with Draymond Green. Their best offense was due to their defense forcing 13 turnovers that yielded 13 points for Golden State en route to a 42-41 halftime lead.

Short again on shot creation, the Warriors shot 37% and 5-for-27 from 3-point range in the opening two quarters. Swarming team defense limited the Lakers - and James to 2-for-8 shooting - to 35 first-half field-goal attempts. Moody made two first-half threes and Brandin Podziemski scored seven second-quarter points as Spencer made a jumper over James to beat the halftime buzzer.

James keyed a 12-2 run to open the second half for the Lakers with a 3-pointer and two conventional three-point plays through Spencer. Moody scored 10 third-quarter points but Golden State's steady defense stalled as it lost the third quarter 38-29.

Triples from Podziemski, Spencer and Green helped the Warriors pull within one, but Los Angeles (32-19) responded with a 9-0 run and protected its lead the rest of the quarter. 

Austin Reaves added 16 points and eight assists for the Lakers. 

This article originally published at Steph Curry can only watch as LeBron James, Lakers corral win in L.A..

LOS ANGELES - Maybe Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy missed Saturday's edition of "The Draymond Green Show." 

Hours after Green revealed details of a discussion with Dunleavy about a prospective trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dunleavy said Green wasn't in trade negotiations - contradicting, whether knowingly or not, the four-time NBA champion power forward's claims. Green said on his podcast he conversed with Dunleavy about a "couple deals," including one for Antetokounmpo that would've included Green or Jimmy Butler.

"He asked me about a couple deals. ‘What do you think of this deal? What do you think of that deal? ' And we talked for quite a while," Green said during his Saturday episode. "He's like, ‘And by the way on the Giannis front - obviously we've spoken about Giannis. We've talked about what picks we'd send them. We haven't talked about what players would go into the deal, but obviously if we were to do a deal with Giannis, you or Jimmy would have to be in a trade to make it work (financially).'"

Green also said Thursday night in Phoenix - after the Warriors beat the Suns - he wasn't sure he wouldn't be traded until hours earlier when the trade deadline passed. He also talked about the trade deadline Tuesday after the Warriors lost to the Philadelphia 76ers.

"I don't know that (my tenure ends) at 13-and-a-half (years)," Green said Tuesday. "But if it does, what a f-ing run it's been."

Dunleavy was asked if Green's relationship with the franchise resultantly changed and said "it was never a possibility of him not being here."

Draymond discusses how crazy things got in the days leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline and his conversation with Mike Dunleavy

"He said "We've spoke about Giannis, we spoke about what picks we'd send them, we haven't really talked about the players that would go back yet...… pic.twitter.com/y8mN6nNJgB

- The Draymond Green Show (@DraymondShow) February 7, 2026

Added Dunleavy from the guts of Crypto.com Arena, where the Warriors played the Los Angeles Lakers: "His name was not in conversations other than the ones where teams call me and ask about him, which they do every year. So nothing's new there. … The reality is - nothing was close. Nothing was considered. Draymond was not being shopped or talked about in deals so it's a little misleading and we're kind of picking up the pieces here. But I think he's in a great spot - and so are we, moving forward."

A reporter noted that either Green or Butler would've been included in a would-be deal for Antetokounmpo, drawing pushback from Dunleavy.

"That's an unbelievable assumption," Dunleavy said. "No, no. We're not doing that. I'm not talking about going down the roster talking about who's in trades and who's not. We don't do that."

Dunleavy expressed excitement about acquiring big man Kristaps Porzingis from the Atlanta Hawks - in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield while sending Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Toronto Raptors for a 2026 second-round draft pick - and maintaining Golden State's flexibility this summer. Porzingis will debut for the Warriors after the NBA's All-Star break - they return to play Feb. 19 against the Boston Celtics - and worked out Saturday under the direction of the medical staff.

Porzingis conducted an introductory news conference after Dunleavy, who said Golden State is "willing to do whatever it takes to improve the team - whether it's young players, first-round picks. We always have been. We always will be as long as we're into this win-now window" with Stephen Curry. 

Porzingis is playing this season with an expiring $30.7 million contract and Dunleavy acknowledged "keeping the books clean is a factor" in the trade (with Moses Moody's $13.4 million Golden State's lone guaranteed commitment for 2027-28) but also touted the skill set of the 30-year-old. Golden State can re-sign Porzingis this summer or package him in a sign-and-trade transaction.

Dunleavy is hoping he provides the Warriors a boost akin to Butler's.

"I think this is similar," Dunleavy said. "Maybe not to that level. … I'm not sure of our expectations just because we've got to get healthy. … I'm anxious and interested. I don't really have expectations because it's kind of an unknown for us and in some ways I think it will be kind of fun."

Porzingis said he was surprised he was traded to the Warriors, for whom he'll wear No. 7 and with whom he envisions a seamless fit. He highlighted former teammate (with the Boston Celtics) Al Horford's presence along with the passion of Golden State's fan base and said his fit will be "pretty natural" offensively.

"I feel like I'm the type of player that can fit in any offense," Porzingis said. At 7-foot-2, he's a 36.6% career shooter from 3-point range who can pick and roll, pick and pop and exploit mismatches. He averaged 17.1 points in 17 games for the Hawks and 19.6 points per game for his career with 1.8 blocks as a rim protector.

He's also battled a series of leg injuries and an energy-zapping condition called POTS, affirming he believes his health will stay intact the rest of the season.

"I'm confident that I will (stay healthy)," he said. "I'll do everything right and I believe I will. … It's a great, great opportunity to turn a new page. From what I've seen and the conversations I've had so far with the medical staff here and the people that work here, I have to say I'm very surprised and very optimistic that I'm in really, really good hands. Some of the best hands.

"I think that will also add already to what I have in my mind," Porzingis added. "I look forward to having a surprisingly good post-All-Star break period."

This article originally published at Warriors GM disputes Draymond Green was on trading block, hours after Green said he was.

PHOENIX - A sense of sadness passed Thursday morning through Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr as he sat inside Mortgage Matchup Center preparing to scheme against the Phoenix Suns.

The Warriors were at shootaround. 

Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield (and Trayce Jackson-Davis) weren't.

As Kerr explained hours later amid his reflection: "It's one of the weirdest things about this profession is that you become really close with someone and you're with them literally all day every day, all day, maybe for a season, maybe for two or three years and then all of a sudden."

He snapped his fingers.

"I think that was the prevailing notion this morning. … It was more one of sadness than anything else."

Kerr was wistful discussing the deal that sent the explosive fifth-year forward and the smiley, sharpshooting 10th-year guard to the Atlanta Hawks for 11th-year big man Kristaps Porzingis. Kuminga's talents were mostly untapped in his 4½ -year run for the Warriors, for whom his fit remained imperfect as Kerr lamented - wishing him well.

As Kerr would add while speaking pregame, noting he spoke Wednesday night with Kuminga: "I hope JK finds his way, whether it's Atlanta or wherever else. I really want to see him succeed and I'm sorry it didn't happen here. We all take ownership of that and definitely things I could've done better. … In the end two quality human beings and we're going to miss both of them."

Kuminga was tabbed by Golden State the seventh overall draft pick in 2021 - and a backup on a championship team with a tried-and-true way of winning games. As Kerr acknowledged about Kuminga, "opportunity is everything" and with the Warriors, his opportunities oscillated weekly, it seemed. Their grizzled group was urgent to win and didn't provide the runway to play through the kind of mistakes befitting of an unvarnished lottery pick.

As a forceful driving finisher and a streaky shooter, defender and passer, Kuminga was a part-time everything, but not a full-time anything.

"The right path, for us, for him - it was always tricky to navigate and we all share in that, myself included," Kerr said. "He was undoubtedly put in a some tough spots coming to a championship team his rookie year. A team that was continuing to try to compete at the highest level. He got here with very little experience and that's a tough thing to reconcile and I wish I had done a better job of making that happen."

Kuminga leaves midway through the first year of a two-year contract he reluctantly signed in October - after a summer of contentious negotiations - worth up to $48.5 million with a team option in 2026-27. Porzingis was a pivot away from Milwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetetokounmpo, for whom the Warriors pursued a trade though he wasn't dealt by the NBA's trade deadline.

The Warriors also had trade interest in Memphis Grizzlies turned Utah Jazz forward Jaren Jackson Jr. - for whom Memphis received a package highlighted by three first-round draft picks - league sources confirmed. Porzingis offers similar skills without Jackson's sizable salary commitment. His $30.7 million contract expires this summer.

Said Kerr of Porzingis, with whom he played telephone tag Thursday: "The kind of player we've been looking for, for years. Legitimate 3-point shooter. Rim protector. Tough to find that combination in one player. The biggest thing is his health. I don't think we would have made the trade if we didn't think he could be healthy and consistent in terms of being in the lineup. So, that's the plan."

Porzingis brings to San Francisco a fined-tuned jumper (36.6% career 3-point shooting) with a 7-foot-2 frame he stretches to play above the rim. He also brings an imposing defensive presence by simply standing in the paint with a history of knee injuries and a diagnosis of POTS, an energy-zapping condition.

Out for the Hawks since Jan. 7, Porzingis has played 17 games this season - averaging 17.1 points (45.7% shooting, 36% 3-point shooting), 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He hasn't played more than 70 games since his rookie season of 2015-16. He's set to meet the Warriors on Friday in Los Angeles, though Kerr doesn't think he'll play Saturday against the Lakers.

As for the lessons learned through Kuminga - for whom Golden State posted a tribute video to X with highlights of his play and his kindness in the community - Kerr said "we're in a business where it's really hard to make everything just right. It's so difficult because there's no right or wrong answer. It's not a math equation and every time is trying to find the sweet spot. We found one obviously for whatever it was. … It was almost unprecedented it was so hard to do.

"We'll have internal discussions organizationally about what we need to go going forward. It should be happening all the time - and it is."

Though Stephen Curry is sidelined with runner's knee and Jimmy Butler is due for right ACL repair Feb. 9 in Los Angeles, Kerr is hoping for a playoff push that Porzingis can aid. He acknowledged the obvious: Golden State's ceiling "is absolutely" lower without Butler healthy.

But it's on to the rest of the season now.

Sadness be damned.

"This is what the season is about - 82 games and you have ups and downs," he said. "But you just keep fighting and finding your way and then ultimately, see if you can be healthy going into the playoffs like last year, and make a run."

This article originally published at Warriors' Steve Kerr wishes the best for Jonathan Kuminga: ‘I hope JK finds his way'.