The Warriors stretched their NBA-record streak of consecutive games without back-to-back losses to 111 games after defeating the Timberwolves 116-108 on Sunday night. Facing a 10-point deficit entering the fourth quarter, Golden State outscored Minnesota 38-20 in the final frame to complete the thrilling comeback victory. Klay Thompson scored 14 of his game-high 30 points in that decisive fourth quarter, while Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry each added 22 points apiece, marking the 10th time this season all three have eclipsed the 20-point mark. Draymond Green notched 18 points, including a season-high five three-pointers, while Shaun Livingston came off the bech to lead all Warriors’ reserves with nine points. With the victory, Golden State improves to an NBA-best 21-4 on the season.
While Golden State struggled mightily shooting the ball throughout their loss on Saturday, they suffered no such fate to begin Sunday’s contest, making three of their first four shots of the game – all three-pointers – to take an early 9-4 lead.
GAME LEADERS
Unfortunately, they’d go cold soon after, missing each of their next four attempts from the field while Minnesota went on an 8-0 run to jump back in front. The two teams would trade the lead throughout the remainder of the opening quarter, with neither side able to generate an advantage larger than four points. Kevin Durant’s two free throws with 27 seconds left would increase Golden State’s lead to 30-27, which is where it would remain heading into the second frame. The Warriors could attribute their slight advantage to their success at the free throw line, where they made all 11 of their first quarter attempts.
Shabazz Muhammad’s three-pointer at the 11:11 mark would cap a 5-0 Timberwolves’ burst to open the second quarter, but Shaun Livingston would soon respond with six points in a span of 90 seconds to put Golden State back in front until the final minute of the half. Draymond Green would increase the Warriors’ lead to as much as eight points with three more three-pointers in the second quarter, tying a season-high with four in the game, but Zach LaVine’s layup with 38 seconds left knotted things back up at 58-58.
Stephen Curry would close out the scoring in the half with a layup on the ensuing possession to give the Warriors a slim 60-58 lead going into the break. Both sides made an identical 20-of-42 attempts from the field and six three-pointers in the opening half, but Golden State possessed an 11-1 advantage in points off turnovers.
The two sides alternated scores within the first three minutes of the second half, as Minnesota pulled even on two separate occasions before taking a 65-64 lead on Andrew Wiggins’ three-pointer at the 9:37 mark. Just over three minutes later, after LaVine had increased the Timberwolves lead to four points with a three-pointer, Stephen Curry drained a trey of his own in response to ignite a stretch in which he’d score eight-straight points for Golden State, helping the Warriors take a 77-74 lead with 5:22 remaining in the third frame. The Dubs would be held without a field goal for the remainder of the quarter, however, as Minnesota would close the period on a 14-1 run to take an 88-78 lead into the fourth and final quarter. The 10-point deficit was the largest Golden State had faced up to that point in the contest.
The Timberwolves’ advantage would only shrink from there, however, as Klay Thompson would score the first five points of the fourth frame, and the Warriors would continue their comeback bid from there. Thompson would sink two free throws to pull Golden State within two with 8:52 remaining, and his jumper at the 7:41 mark would tie the game up at 92-92. Kevin Durant’s layup on the Warriors’ ensuing possession would give the Dubs the lead, and Golden State wouldn’t trail for the rest of the contest. Thompson and Durant would follow that up with back-to-back three-pointers, after which David West scored three-straight points to complete a 15-0 Warriors’ run and increase their lead to 103-92 with 5:07 left to play. After Karl-Anthony Towns ended Minnesota’s drought with a layup, Andre Iguodala’s three-pointer on the resulting possession would put Golden State up 106-94, giving them their largest lead of the entire night with 4:33 remaining in regulation. That would prove to be more than enough, as the Timberwolves would come no closer than within six points throughout the remainder of the game, permitting the Warriors to round out the eventual 116-108 comeback victory.
With the win, Golden State improves to 21-4 on the season. They’ll attempt to improve on that record further when they play the final game of their current five-game road trip in New Orleans on Tuesday.