Stephen Curry scored 44 points, becoming the first player to reach 40 points 46 times since his 30th birthday, as the Golden State Warriors beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-114 on Wednesday night in Minneapolis. It was his best statistical night of the early season.
The Warriors’ coaching staff built the game plan around getting Timberwolves centre Rudy Gobert out of the paint. They ran high-screen action with Curry in the first half to drag Gobert away from the rim. It worked. The reeling Timberwolves, playing their first game without Anthony Edwards, who had an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee, were scattered in their coverage, and an aggressive Curry tore through them.
The contrast with their previous game was stark. Two nights earlier, the Denver Nuggets had sold out to stop Curry. He attempted only one shot in the first half and finished an efficient but quiet 8-of-8 from the field.
Curry takes over
On Wednesday, Curry fired up six shots in the first seven minutes and then 10 more in the second quarter. At halftime he had 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including five three-pointers. The fifth came from 31 feet, an audacious attempt that signalled he was in rhythm.
Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg was equally impressed by his teammate. “I’m just watching like, man, this guy is good as hell,” Lendeborg said. “It’s crazy. I caught myself shaking my head a couple times.”
The Warriors led by as many as 24 points, but Minnesota forced a batch of turnovers, pushed the pace against the older Warriors and threatened deep into the fourth quarter. Curry steadied his side in the third quarter, diving on the floor for a loose ball. He later said the play showed how well his body was feeling. He played more than 30 minutes for the first time this season.
Although he cooled off from the field in the fourth quarter, Curry was decisive at the free-throw line. He made all seven of his attempts in the final eight minutes and finished 16-of-16 from the line.
“We still have a lot of things to [improve], but you like learning lessons while you’re winning,” Curry said. “The 2-1 road trip is great. Step in the right direction.”
Warriors respond after a rocky start
The Warriors opened the season with three straight losses, including a 12-point collapse in the final three minutes of their home opener against the Memphis Grizzlies. With a demanding schedule ahead, there was some concern about an early-season spiral.
Golden State has since responded. On Monday, the Warriors blew out the Nuggets in Denver, with Lendeborg contributing 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in only his fourth career game. They then held off the Timberwolves behind a rejuvenated Curry.
“There’s a slight bit of relief,” Curry said. “But still an understanding that in the Memphis game, the second half tonight, we know we can play better.”
Lendeborg finished with 26 points and nine rebounds against Minnesota, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the rookie was in a sour mood after the game because of his seven turnovers. “I played hella soft today,” Lendeborg said.
Lakers rematch looms
The Warriors return to San Francisco for a six-game homestand, which begins on Friday night against Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers crushed Golden State in the season opener, and Lendeborg had a memorable dust-up with Doncic that spilled over into the postgame news conferences.
Asked whether he was looking forward to the rematch, Lendeborg said, “Absolutely.”
“Yes, I am,” he said. “I’ll talk about that more on Friday.”