Warriors Stay On Point, Exploit Wounded Timberwolves With Strong Defense In Win

Warriors stay on point, exploit wounded Timberwolves with strong defense in win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

From the dog days of a season in peril to the arctic chill in the air to the heat burning the streets of Minneapolis, the Warriors on Sunday had plenty of reasons for their collective focus to scatter like the wind.

“There’s a lot of heavy hearts and a lot of things especially this Minneapolis community,” Stephen Curry told reporters at Target Center after a 111-85 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. “Yesterday was rough. It’s been rough I know out here, and I you can kind of feel it when we got here two days ago. The protests that were going on downtown.

“It was amazing to watch the turn out and peaceful protests and the unified voice that was here. And you feel like that what kind of turn the tide of you know to a more positive direction.”

Credit the Warriors for staying on task and taking full advantage of a Minnesota squad that appeared to be reeling from the harsh realities gripping their community. This victory was built on defense, the component that most challenges the mind.

The Warriors limited the Wolves to 38-percent shooting from the field, including 34.2 percent from deep. They committed only 12 turnovers, while forcing 26 and scoring 25 points off the giveaways.

Most eye-popping is that the Warriors, led by Curry, Brandin Podziemski and Will Richard, snagged a season-high 20 steals – the highest total of any NBA team this season.

“We were active and sharp with our rotations and game plan stuff,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters in Minneapolis. “We didn’t make many mistakes and took advantage of the opportunities that were there. A lot of guys diving on the floor for loose balls, and Steph set the tone early, he dove on one and Moses [Moody] got the three in the corner that gave us some momentum. And BP got on the floor, called a timeout. Those are big plays, and they establish a level of fight that you have to have.”

The game, originally scheduled for Saturday, was postponed for 24 hours due to the unrest on the streets of Minneapolis after a local nurse was fatally shot by an ICE agent during the government’s concentrated immigration enforcement in the area.

The Warriors arrived from Dallas on Friday morning and spent most of their time at the team hotel, away from thousands of protesters and sub-zero temperatures, before coming out for the game.

“You definitely felt the weight of the city, with so many people gathering together,” Moody said. “They had certain chants and everything going on. Couldn’t imagine too many different times where that group or that large of amount of people are together in the midst of a situation like this, so you definitely felt that.”

Despite the ongoing adverse conditions, the Warriors’ energy was visible from the start. They took a 14-2 lead inside the first four minutes, faded in the second quarter and then raced away from the Wolves, posting a 66-39 advantage, in the second half.

Golden State used its 21st different lineup, with Al Horford getting the start at center. He finished with 10 points and five rebounds in his second start this season. His defense, along with that of Draymond Green, were critical in limiting Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert to a combined 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting. 

“We were active,” Podziemski said. “It didn’t seem like they came really ready play, either. So, I know tomorrow they’re going to turn it up a notch and some of those shots they missed will probably go in tomorrow.

“So, we’ve just got to clean some things up. But forcing as many turnovers as we did was pretty good.”

The question now is whether the Warriors can summon enough energy Monday night for sweep the back-to-back set. The blowout allowed Kerr to limit the minutes of the regulars – Curry and Moody each played 28 minutes to lead the team – which could be a factor. De’Anthony Melton and Horford are not expected to be available.

Winning on Sunday represents a small victory for the Warriors. They fought, for a little more than two hours, through the fog of a local war that affects us all.

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