The Warriors starting backcourt combined for 60 points and 10 three-pointers in their 121-107 victory over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. Klay Thompson led all scorers with 41 points, topping the 40-point plateau for the 10th time in his career. Stephen Curry added 19 points and nine assists, while Matt Barnes contributed 12 points, six rebounds and four assists in a starting role. With the win, Golden State improves to 64-14 on the season and ties their longest winning streak of the year at 12 games.
GAME LEADERS
It was a tightly contested game throughout much of the first half, but Golden State ran away with it in the final two quarters behind some tremendous shooting from their star-studded backcourt. Klay Thompson opened the scoring with a three-pointer, in what would prove to be a sign of things to come. Neither side was able to generate a lead greater than five points in the first quarter, which saw eight lead changes and concluded with the score knotted at 32 a side.
Karl-Anthony Towns opened the second quarter with a three-point play to momentarily put the Timberwolves in front, but the Warriors responded with a 12-0 run and would never trail again from that point on. Minnesota cut it to a three-point deficit on Andrew Wiggins’ three-point play with 4:16 left in the frame, but Thompson would knock down three more three-pointers in the remainder of the quarter, including one with four seconds left to put Golden State up 68-60 heading into halftime.
Thompson made another three-pointer for the Warriors’ first points of the second half, but he’d soon hand the reins over to Stephen Curry, who would proceed to take over the game in the third quarter. He score or assist the Warriors’ next four baskets, and minutes later would provide one of his patented spectacular sequences. After Wiggins made two free throws to pull the Timberwolves within 88-75 with 5:05 remaining in the frame, Curry drained back-to-back three-pointers, found Thompson for another three-pointer, and then delivered a one-handed behind-the-back pass to Andre Iguodala for an easy lay-in. By the time Curry’s third quarter onslaught was over, he had scored 13 points in the frame to increase the Warriors’ lead to 104-86 heading into the fourth and final quarter.
Shabazz Muhammad scored the first four points of the fourth frame, but Thompson would then respond with a three-point play, and go on to score Golden State’s first eight points of the quarter to give him 41 points on the night and the 10th 40-point game of his career. The Warriors led 116-97 when he and the last of the starters went to the bench with 5:45 remaining in the contest, as Steve Kerr emptied his bench and allowed the reserves to finish off the eventual 121-107 victory.
With the win, Golden State improves to 64-14 on the season. They’ll look to achieve their longest winning streak of the year when they travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns on Wednesday night.