Despite the absences of Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors are off to a strong start. Three winning shots from Dennis Schröder (12 points), Gui Santos, and Stephen Curry put them in orbit (13-0). Their defense forces four turnovers and limits Minnesota to 3/13 on shots, while the 6/6 at 3-points of the Curry – Schroder duo gives them a 24-point lead (34-10)!
The address then changes sides. Two winning shots from Anthony Edwards (28 points, 8 rebounds) revived the Wolves while the Warriors continued their blunders. Two new 3-pointers, this time from Donte DiVincenzo (28 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds) reduce the gap to -10 to make the Target Center rumble (47-37). The Warriors responded with an 8-2 thanks to two long shots from Moses Moody (11 points) but Jalen McDaniels (14 points) did not release the pressure just before halftime (55-42).
The Schröder – Curry pair started the third quarter well but with Gui Santos on five fouls, the Warriors were seriously lacking in size (66-52). Seven points in a row from DiVincenzo bring the Wolves back below ten points for the first time since the opening minutes of the match (66-59). Curry and Edwards then go blow for blow and six points in a row from Andrew Wiggins (24 points) keep Minnesota at -9 (87-78).
Such an important victory
Julius Randle (17 points), hitherto clumsy, wakes up at the right time. Well supported by Naz Reid, they bring the Wolves back to one possession (94-91). The offensive rebounds of Trayce Jackson-Davis (15 rebounds, 9 offensive) and a foul on a 3-pointer from Buddy Hield (18 points) gave Golden State a reprieve (105-100). Two new award-winning shots from Donte DiVincenzo and two free throws from Naz Reid bring Minnesota back into a tie with a minute to play (108-108)!
However, the Wolves will never go ahead. An oversight by Naz Reid (15 points) gives Stephen Curry a 3-pointer in the corner, and despite two blunders by the Warriors, an offensive rebound by Andrew Wiggins on a missed free throw by Gary Payton II gives Curry two shots to kill the match and get an important victory.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– The Warriors capitalize on Minnesota’s mistakes. The Wolves only lost 9 balls last night, including 5 in the first quarter. A completely acceptable figure if the Warriors had not scored 22 points on these turnovers. This is what allowed them to take a 24-point lead in the first quarter. They also scored numerous penalty shots at key moments to slow down Wolves’ comeback.
– Golden State finally wins in “money time”. After a good start to the season, the Warriors made a series of defeats and mistakes in the money time, losing many matches that they could have won if they had made better decisions. With a three-point lead and the ball with 14 seconds left, Gary Payton II put the ball in play to Buddy Hield in the corner as he fell into bounds. The guard then gave him the ball back but Payton was still out. On the next throw-in, it was Stephen Curry (93% on free throws) who grabbed the ball to pass to Payton (60% on free throws)! Fortunately for them, these two errors did not allow Wolves to reverse the trend.
– The Stephen Curry duel – Anthony Edwards keeps his promises. The two teammates from Team USA this summer in Paris were present for their fourth face to face this season. Curry made 4/4 from distance in the first quarter to start the hostilities. Edwards responded in the second quarter to revive the Wolves. The two stars then went blow for blow in the second quarter, scoring 17 and 16 points respectively. The only difference was that Curry scored the 3-pointer needed to keep the Warriors ahead with 47 seconds left, and Edwards missed the equalizer with 21 seconds on the clock.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
