Curry’s 44 Points Lead Warriors Past Timberwolves, 119–114

Stephen Curry scored 44 points and made all sixteen of his free throws as the Golden State Warriors beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 119–114 on Wednesday at Target Center. Yaxel Lendeborg added 26 points and nine rebounds for Golden State, which built a 24-point lead before Minnesota closed the margin in the second half.

Curry made six 3-pointers and finished with eight rebounds and six assists. He scored 19 points in the second quarter, helping the Warriors take a 64–48 halftime lead. Golden State improved to 2–3, while the Timberwolves fell to 3–2.

Minnesota, playing without Anthony Edwards, outscored the Warriors 33–29 in the third quarter and 33–26 in the fourth. Jonathan Kuminga led the Timberwolves with 20 points. Jaden McDaniels and Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 19 apiece, and Ayo Dosunmu added 17.

Minnesota’s Late Chances

Dosunmu made a 3-pointer with 32 seconds left to bring Minnesota within 116–112. Curry turned the ball over with 24 seconds remaining, and the Timberwolves had more opportunities to reduce the deficit. De’Anthony Melton blocked Dosunmu’s layup with 18 seconds left. Draymond Green took the rebound before losing the ball, and McDaniels missed 3-pointers with 13 and nine seconds remaining.

Lendeborg rebounded the second miss and made one of two free throws with six seconds left for a 117–112 lead. McDaniels missed another 3 with three seconds remaining, and Bones Hyland scored on a 16-foot bank shot after the offensive rebound to make it 117–114. Curry’s two free throws finished the scoring.

Curry Opens the Gap in the Second Quarter

Curry had four points in the opening quarter before adding 19 in the second. Five of his six 3-pointers through the third came in that second period, including consecutive makes that took the Warriors from a 30–29 advantage to a 36–31 lead. Curry then added a 10-foot basket to extend the advantage to 38–31.

Curry continued scoring from beyond the arc, making another 3-pointer at 7:31 and one from 25 feet at 6:48. His 31-footer at 6:07 extended Golden State’s advantage to 51–38. The Warriors won the quarter by nine points and took a sixteen-point lead into halftime after Curry made two free throws with 3.5 seconds left.

Golden State pushed further ahead early in the third. Curry’s step-back 3-pointer made it 71–50, and his two free throws extended the difference to 23. Later, he converted a 12-foot shot and the accompanying free throw for a 78–54 lead with 6:18 remaining. That was Golden State’s largest lead of the game.

Minnesota’s Bench Cuts Into the Lead

Minnesota’s five reserves finished the third quarter together. Trey Lyles, Jaylen Clark, Terrence Shannon Jr., Bones Hyland and Joan Beringer shared the floor for its final 5:02. Minnesota outscored Golden State 20–13 during that shared stint, reducing an 80–61 deficit to 93–81.

Hyland supplied the late outside shooting. He made a running 3-pointer with 2:04 left, found Jaylen Clark for a corner 3-pointer, and then hit another 3 with 54.2 seconds remaining. Two Hyland free throws cut the deficit to 91–81. Curry answered with two free throws of his own, leaving Golden State ahead by twelve at the quarter break.

Hyland scored eight points during those final 5:02, while Beringer added two baskets near the rim. Shannon’s contribution included eight made free throws in ten attempts through three quarters. Minnesota’s starters had combined for 38 points, while the five reserves who had played supplied 43. Starting center Rudy Gobert had one point through the third.

Free Throws and Rebounds Support Golden State

Golden State made 39 of 89 field-goal attempts, compared with Minnesota’s 40 of 90. The Timberwolves made 15 3-pointers to the Warriors’ 11. Golden State went 30 for 37 at the free-throw line, while Minnesota finished 19 for 27. Curry supplied sixteen of the Warriors’ made free throws without a miss.

Lendeborg shot 11 for 20 from the field and joined Curry as Golden State’s other 20-point scorer. Draymond Green had nine rebounds and six assists, and Brandin Podziemski also had six assists. The Warriors finished with 25 assists and a 53–42 rebounding advantage, including 13 offensive rebounds to Minnesota’s seven.

Kerr Calls the Finish a Lesson

Steve Kerr said Golden State needed to learn from its uneven finish. In his postgame news conference, he said the Warriors had pursued spectacular plays instead of continuing to make solid decisions. “We need to learn from it,” Kerr said. Asked about the fourth quarter, he acknowledged that Minnesota had increased its ball pressure, but said Golden State had already allowed the game to change through its turnovers.

Friday’s Schedule

Golden State’s next scheduled game is Friday, October 30, against the Lakers at Chase Center, with tipoff at 10 p.m. ET. Minnesota is scheduled to host the Clippers at Target Center the same night at 8 p.m. ET.