Coming off a 27-point win two days ago, the Warriors were looking to build on that victory Tuesday night. But this time, instead of a middle-of-the-pack team, it was against a contending team.
The way the Warriors (11-9) played against the Boston Celtics (10-8) would be a better barometer for where they're at. However, their 111-107 loss at Chase Center wasn't as telling as they hoped.
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Starting the game without James Wiseman, the Warriors lost their only healthy center, Kevon Looney, in the second quarter. So no, they can't assess the growth of the team, but the loss shed light on what the Warriors will need until their centers return.
Here are three takeaways from Tuesday's loss.
Steph Curry catches fire
There's a narrative that Steph Curry can't carry a team. Perhaps it's there because he's never had to do it before and he's always had at least one other guy to share the load.
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Being the lone star on Warriors has been different for him, but it's becoming clear that he can carry the burden. Against the Celtics, it was the Curry Show from the tip.
He had a 17-point first quarter, in which he hit four three-pointers -- making it eight consecutive games with at least four threes.
Curry finished the night with 38 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in 37 minutes, marking his fifth double-double of the season.
When Curry is on, he's on. And when he's on, he sucks all the defensive attention, allowing his teammates to get easy looks.
Curry's dominance is different than other players who have had to carry their teams before because Curry does almost all of it from a distance. But he can do it.
The situation at center
Well, the Warriors' situation at center got even worse.
In the second quarter, Kevon Looney landed awkwardly on his left ankle, resulting in him going straight to the locker room and not returning. With James Wiseman and Marquese Chriss already out due to injuries, Looney was the Warriors' last true center still healthy. Now, with this ankle injury, that's in jeopardy.
Draymond Green spent time in the center position against the Celtics, and did well. But that's not where Steve Kerr wants to have him primarily.
The Warriors can bring in a free agent center, however, he would be required to register negative for COVID-19 tests for six consecutive days before joining team activities. So either way, the Warriors will be relying on small-ball for a while.
Juan Toscano-Anderson shines
After Looney went down, the Warriors' next-man-up mentality was challenged again. Juan Toscano-Anderson rose to the occasion.
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He had 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-3 from distance in 27 minutes after playing just 9.8 minutes per game last month.
And he didn't just make an impact on offense. He did it on defense as well, registering one steal and one block.
There are clearly areas of the game Toscano-Anderson needs to improve on. But as the Warriors figure out what to do at the center position, he will see more playing time and will need to continue the level of play he had Tuesday.
