Curry, Warriors cruise to 137-114 win over Timberwolves

Published Nov. 27, 2022 6:12 p.m. ET

Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Steph Curry had 25 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, Jordan Poole pitched in 24 points off the bench and the Golden State Warriors used a 47-point first quarter to spark a 137-114 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.

Klay Thompson went 5 for 8 from deep for 21 points and tied Joe Johnson (1,978) for 15th place on the NBA's career list for 3-pointers made for the Warriors, who raised their perplexing road record to 2-9. They’ve won five of their last six games overall and eight of 11.

Draymond Green had his first double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 assists. Andrew Wiggins scored 17 points against his old team for the Warriors, who went 2 for 12 from 3-point range in the second quarter and still led by 20 points at the half.

Anthony Edwards scored 26 points for the Wolves, who were outrebounded 47-31 and allowed their highest opponent score of the season.

After the third quarter turned into casual outside shooting practice for both teams, the Wolves finally came to life early in the fourth quarter. A 19-4 run capped by a 3-pointer from Edwards brought them within 10 points, their closest margin since midway through the first quarter.

Curry missed his first three shots after re-entering at the 8:25 mark. After the Warriors called timeout to stem the tide he swished a 3 from the wing to push the lead to 121-108.

Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and Jaylen Nowell had 16 points off the bench for the Wolves, who are working through a lot of bad habits on both ends of the court — like standing around on the perimeter on offense. That trait is made more stark playing against an actively passing and cutting team like the Warriors.

The Wolves lost for the second time in two days after their five-game winning streak was stopped with a loss at Charlotte on Saturday.

The Wolves and Warriors have plenty of runway to get rolling on after their sluggish starts to the season. This game made clear the defending NBA champion Warriors are further along.

The Wolves played without Jaden McDaniels, their best perimeter defender who was sidelined by an illness, against a Warriors team that leads the league with 13 games of 30-plus assists and has long been the league king of the 3.

Wiggins started with a soaring left-handed slam off a lob from Green, a signal just 12 seconds into the game that the Wolves were going to have their hands full. The Warriors made 17 of their first 21 shots for a 40-17 lead, built by a 28-4 run over a 4:27 stretch that Nowell finally halted with his first of consecutive 3-pointers off the bench. The 47-27 deficit after one quarter was the biggest for the Wolves this season.

The Warriors also ended a six-game losing streak in Minnesota that spanned more than 3½ years. Their last win at Target Center was on March 19, 2019.

BODY CLOCK

The Timberwolves played their first of four home afternoon games this season, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr sounded wistful for his playing days when more matinees were on the schedule and the NBA on NBC theme song was the main soundtrack.

“It makes for a more normal existence. You have dinner at a normal hour, get to bed at a normal hour, so I enjoy them,” Kerr said.

TIP-INS

Warriors: Golden State posted the second-highest first-quarter total in the NBA this season, according to Sportradar data. New York had 48 points in a loss to Oklahoma City on Nov. 13. ... The Warriors had a 36-22 edge in assists and have 30 or more in seven of their last eight games.

Timberwolves: Austin Rivers drew his first start of the season in McDaniels' spot. He had five points in 29 minutes. ... Backup PG Jordan McLaughlin (calf strain) was sidelined for the third straight game and backup SF Taurean Prince (shoulder subluxation) was out for the second game in a row.

UP NEXT

Warriors: Play at Dallas on Tuesday.

Timberwolves: Play at Washington on Monday.

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