Curry Scores 31 but Dubs Faulter in Fourth Quarter

The Warriors led for the nearly the entirety of the first three quarters but Minnesota came out hot in the fourth quarter and handed the Dubs a 114-110 defeat on Sunday. Down by three with 11.9 seconds left in the game, the Dubs had a chance to tie it, but a missed 3-pointer followed by a Minnesota free throw put the game out of reach.

Three-point shooting proved to be the difference, as the Timberwolves made 21 3-pointers to just 14 for the Dubs. Stephen Curry knocked down five of those threes and finished with a game-high 31 points, and Klay Thompson was among four other Dubs in double-figures with 16 points.

Golden State Warriors Highlights vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards had 23 points and eight assists to lead Minnesota, and center Naz Reid shot 6-for-8 on 3-pointers to finish with 20 points as Minnesota out-scored the Dubs 36-29 in the fourth quarter to move within a game (49-22) of first place in the Western Conference.

With the loss, the Warriors fall to 36-34 on the season and are just a game ahead of the Rockets for 10^th place in the West, and the final spot in the Play-In Tournament.

Team Leaders

GSW

Points
Rebounds
Assists

Curry – 31
Green – 8
Payton – 7

Thompson – 16
Payton – 8
Paul – 6

Wiggins – 15
Jackson-Davis – 5
Curry/Green – 3

MIN

Points
Rebounds
Assists

Edwards – 23
Gobert – 12
Edwards – 8

Reid – 20
Reid – 12
Conley – 7

Gobert – 17

Edwards/Anderson – 6
Anderson – 5

Naz Reid Carries Minnesota Early
The Warriors jumped ahead at the start of the game with a standout defensive effort, forcing nine turnovers in the opening period and holding Minnesota to 33 percent shooting from the floor. But the one player who gave the Dubs fits early was center Naz Reid. Playing extended minutes with Karl-Anthony Towns injured, Reid made his five 3-pointers in the game, accounting for 17 of Minnesota’s first 29 points.

Dubs Have an Answer Early
Reid’s hot shooting brought the Timberwolves back to within two points (31-29) in the second quarter, but the Warriors responded with an 8-0 run. Jonathan Kuminga scored the Dubs’ first six points of the second quarter, igniting that spurt with a Chris Paul assisted half-curt alley-oop dunk. The Warriors would lead by as many as 12 points in the second quarter and went into halftime with an eight-point advantage (54-46).

Another Career Milestone for Curry
The NBA’s all-time leader in 3-point shooting, Stephen Curry surpassed 3,700 career 3-pointers in the game. His fifth and final trey of the game tied things up at 104-104, but Mike Conley answered with a 3-pointer of his own to put Minnesota in front for good. Curry scored the final nine Warriors points of the game, bringing the Dubs within one on two occasions in that late-game stretch.

Minnesota Controls the Fourth Quarter
The Warriors had a three-point lead entering the fourth quarter, but consecutive turnovers to open the final frame resulted in Minnesota 3-pointers and the Dubs would never lead again. The Timberwolves open the quarter with a 19-8 run to take an eight-point lead, their first advantage since the first quarter, and they did just enough to keep the Dubs at bay down the stretch. Minnesota shot 21-for-40 (52.5 percent) from distance, as seven different Timberwolves players knocked down at least one trey.

Up Next
After falling on a snowy day in Minnesota, the Warriors will resume their five-game road trip in Florida with a back-to-back set in Miami on Tuesday and Orlando on Wednesday.

More Notables …

The Warriors fell to 18-15 on the road this season, losing their first game of the five-game road trip.
Minnesota swept Golden State in a season series (3-0) for just the second time ever and the first since the 1997-98 campaign (4-0)… The Timberwolves have won 10 of the last 12 games against the Warriors in Minnesota.
The Warriors played in their 41^st clutch game—games within five points with fewer than five minutes to play—tied with Atlanta for the most in the league this season… The Warriors fell to 19-22 in clutch games.
Minnesota overcame a 12-point deficit in the win, the 13^th time this season that a Warriors opponent has overcome a double-digit deficit to win.
Gary Payton II dished out a career-high seven assists to go with a season-best eight rebounds in 24 minutes.
Draymond Green scored in double figures for the third-straight game (17^th this season) with 12 points, hitting multiple threes in a game for the 14^th time.
Trayce Jackson-Davis swiped a career-high three steals and blocked a pair of shots, his fifth consecutive multi-block game and 16^th this season (most by a Warriors rookie since Festus Ezeli had 18 such games in 2012-13).