SAN FRANCISCO – After back-to-back losses, the Golden State Warriors were in desperate need of morale booster heading into tonight’s game. The Warriors 130-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves was definitely the win they were looking for.
The Timberwolves are far from one of the top teams in the NBA. Minnesota played without stars Karl Anthony-Towns and D’Angelo Russell tonight, but beggars can’t be choosers. The Warriors will take the win anyway they can.
Golden State (9-8) shuffled its starting lineup, moving veteran center Kevon Looney to the starting five and rookie James Wiseman to the bench. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said during his pregame press conference that Wiseman “understands it’s not a demotion by any means, it’s simply a part of his development.”
“We got off to a really good start which I was hoping for,” said Kerr postgame. “Defense was really good. Those first six minutes, I think, we got up 15-17 points. It’s much easier to play ahead and set a tone.”
Golden State jumped out to a 14-4 lead before the Timberwolves called its first timeout. Four of the Warriors starting five scored in double figures, including Stephen Curry’s game-high 36 points on 11-of-21 shooting. He went 7-of-12 from beyond the 3-point line as Golden State avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season.
“We can play better, but we made timely shots and built a lot of momentum,” Curry said. “The challenge for us is to bring that energy the majority of the time and I pride myself on being able to have fun. Trying to make that first and foremost as we go through the ups and downs of the season.”
The entire lineup had great plus/minus ratings for the game. Andrew Wiggins finished with 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting. He scored inside the paint and from distance against his former team. Wiggins was also working hard on the defensive end, registering 3 blocks and 6 rebounds.
“I was excited,” said Wiggins. “Playing against my former team obviously. There’s still some guys left so it was great to see them, catch up and compete.”
Malik Beasley scored 30 points with four 3s to lead Minnesota, who trailed the entire game. The Timberwolves were victimized by poor shots and turnovers and couldn’t gain any traction against the Warriors.
Ricky Rubio shot 1-of-8 from the floor but did have 11 assists. Minnesota hasn’t won on Golden State’s home floor since a 124-117 overtime victory on April 5, 2016. The Timberwolves will try to make some changes as the teams meet again on Wednesday back at Chase Center.
Photo by Warriors/Twitter
