Game Preview: Warriors vs. Timberwolves - 3/26/23

DUBS ON A ROLL
The Warriors are riding a three-game winning streak as they continue their final extended homestand of the season on Sunday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Dubs and Timberwolves are two of the nine teams battling for playoff and/or play-in positioning in the Western Conference, and Sunday’s game will be the fourth and final head-to-head to matchup between the two teams. The Dubs have won two of this season’s first three meetings with Minnesota, and another victory on Sunday would give the Warriors a tie-breaker advantage over the Wolves – meaning the Dubs would get the more advantageous spot in the standings should they finish the regular season tied with the Timberwolves in the standings.

LAST TIME OUT
Jordan Poole had 19 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter as the Dubs overcame an 11-point deficit in the final period in Friday's 120-112 victory over the 76ers. Poole, Stephen Curry (29 points) and Klay Thompson combined for 83 points and Draymond Green logged a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists as the Dubs notched their eighth straight home victory. » Full Game Recap

PREVIOUS GAME STARTERS
GSW: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Donte DiVincenzo, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney
MIN: Mike Conley, Kyle Anderson, Jaden McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert

INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: Gary Payton II (right adductor soreness) is TBD. Andre Iguodala (left wrist; fracture), Ryan Rollins (right foot surgery) and Andrew Wiggins (personal reasons) are out. Team Notes
MIN: TBD. Team Notes

DUBS BENCH COMING ALIVE
One of the common threads during the Warriors’ current three-game winning streak is the team’s bench performance. Dubs reserves outscored the Sixers bench 54-14 on Friday, the fourth straight game the Dubs’ reserves have had the scoring the advantage. During that stretch, Warriors reserves are averaging 53.8 points, with multiple double-digit scoring performances from Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga. The 3-point shot has been huge for the Dubs’ reserves. Poole made six treys on Friday night, Kuminga showed improved 3-point shooting during the recent road trip, Moses Moody has shot 60 percent from deep over the last four games and both JaMychal Green and Anthony Lamb have proved on multiple occasions this season that they’re capable of stretching the floor with their perimeter shooting.

MINNESOTA SCOUTING REPORT
After ending a three-year playoff drought last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves weren't satisfied, trading five players and five picks to acquire three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. The Timberwolves already had an All-NBA center, Karl-Anthony Towns, but decided to pair the offensive-minded big with an elite rim protector.

Minnesota's two-center experiment was halted abruptly when Towns badly strained his right calf against the Washington Wizards on November 28. Towns missed the next 51 games, only recently returning this week. In Wednesday's 125-124 victory over the Hawks, Towns scored 22 points and hit the game-winning free throws. The Wolves are just 10-10 when Gobert and Towns share the court this season. 

In the backcourt, the Timberwolves brought in former Jazz guard Mike Conley, a playmaker who can stabilize the offense and has chemistry with Gobert, particularly on lob passes. Conley's backcourt mate, Anthony Edwards, is a first-time All-Star averaging nearly 25 points (24.7 PPG), but he has missed the last three games due to a right ankle injury and his status for Sunday is TBD.