After sluggish starts led to two straight losses, Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr made a switch to the starting lineup on Wednesday night and the Dubs responded with a strong opening quarter and picked up a 130-108 win over the Timberwolves.
The Warriors yielded 40 and 39 points in the first quarters on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Citing defensive reasons, Coach Kerr inserted Kevon Looney into the first five, and the adjustment seemed to pay instant dividends. The Dubs made eight of their first 12 shots and opened the game on a 19-4 run, leading by as many as 17 points in the opening period.
TEAM LEADERS
It helped that the Timberwolves were without their two leading scorers in center Karl-Anthony Towns (22.0 ppg; health and safety protocols) and former Warrior D’Angelo Russell (20.5 ppg; right quad contusion), but still, Minnesota found ways to stay in the game. Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley picked up the scoring load with 30 points and brought the Timberwolves within eight points with 6:45 to go in the fourth quarter with an emphatic slam.
But then Stephen Curry took over, checking into the game and immediately hitting a 3-pointer. Curry would score 12 straight Warriors points to put the Dubs comfortably back in front by double figures. In fact, he scored or assisted on 18 straight points over a three-minute stretch that broke the game open for the Dubs, and he finished with a game-high 36 points.
Meanwhile, Andrew Wiggins, who played the first five-and-a-half seasons of his career with the Timberwolves, had a strong all-around game with 23 points, six rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Kelly Oubre Jr. tallied 14 points and James Wiseman scored 13 points off the bench as the Dubs moved back over .500 (-9-8) with the win.
The Warriors will see this same Timberwolves team again on Wednesday night.