Curry out duels DiVincenzo late as Warriors hold on to beat T-Wolves

Steph Curry had 31 points and seven threes as the Warriors blew only 20 points of a 21-point lead in Minneapolis to win 116-115.

Things were different for the Golden State Warriors Wednesday night. They took a 21-point lead in the first quarter and this time, only lost nearly all of it before Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins won the game for them down the stretch.

Curry had 31 points, with eight of them coming in the final 2:36. Wiggins scored 24 against his old team and sealed the game with a clutch offensive rebound off a missed free throw with eight seconds left. That got Curry two free throws, which were crucial when Anthony Edwards hit a last-second three-pointer that gave the game its final margin: Golden State Warriors 116, Minnesota Timberwolves 115.

For a while, it was a three-point shootout between Curry and former Warrior Donte DiVincenzo, aka “The Big Ragu” aka “The Michael Jordan of Delaware.” They each hit two triples in the final three minutes, with DiVincenzo finishing with 28 points and six threes. Just short of Curry, just like his team on Wednesday.

Perhaps inspired by the return of Gary Payton II (seven points, six rebounds), the Warriors jumped out to a 13-0 lead, driven by new starter Gui Santos. Draymond Green was too sick to play, so the Warriors’ Brazilian sensation decided to drive the offense himself. He began the game with five points and two assists in the first 4:04. You’d never know it was his first NBA start! He didn’t score again but he did collect seven rebounds.

It also helped that Steph Curry made all four of his three-point attempts in the first quarter, with the last one giving Golden State a 29-8 lead.

Normally taking a double-digit lead is the Warriors’ Achilles heel. But not Wednesday! Dennis Schroder shot 5-for-11 and 2-for-3 from behind the arc before fouling out with four minutes to go. Buddy Hield scored 18 points, including three clutch free throws after being fouled by DiVincenzo behind the arc, and grabbed three steals. The big men hung tough against Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and Warriors-killer Naz Reid, helping the team win the rebounding battle 45-41. Much of that was Jackson-Davis grabbing 15 boards, while Looney finished with six assists.

The team also went 18-for-21 from the free throw line, a welcome change. Down the stretch, they were 8-for-9 on the charity stripe. Moses Moody also shot 3-for-4 from behind the arc, and the entire team seemed to play with energy that had been missing in earlier late-game collapses.

Golden State is back to .500 after a road trip where they went a respectable 2-2. They’ve also seemed to find some bench lineups that make more sense. After a terrible loss to the Raptors, the Warriors found themselves against an actual contender. We know the pendulum will likely swing the other way soon enough, but this was an excellent win.