The Warriors had plenty of opportunities to win on Sunday. They didn’t. Rinse. Repeat.
The Golden State Warriors lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-110 on Sunday, falling to 36-34 on the season. The Houston Rockets are now just one game behind the Dubs for the 10th seed in the Western Conference, the final spot in the play-in tournament. If the Warriors do not want to be in the NBA Draft lottery, they need to turn things around quickly.
The Warriors would probably be a top-five seed in the league if winners were determined by the length of time a squad was ahead. Golden State once again came up short despite leading for the majority of the matchup, only trailing for a couple minutes in the first three quarters.
Steph Curry led the way for the Warriors with 31 points, while Klay Thompson (16), Andrew Wiggins (15), Jonathan Kuminga (14), and Draymond Green (12) all finished in double figures. Curry was the Warriors lone consistent scorer throughout the contest, which made it particularly baffling that head coach Steve Kerr seemed hesitant to push Curry’s minutes late in the game.
While neither team ever led by more than eight points in the second half, and the Wolves took a lead they would never relinquish early in the final quarter, Curry still finished the game with fewer than 30 minutes of action. It was a strange rotation, even for Kerr’s historically cautious approach to star player’s usage.
Anthony Edwards led the Wolves with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists while Rudy Gobert had a 17 points-12 rebounds double-double, but Naz Reid was the x-factor for Minnesota. Reid recorded 20 points and 12 rebounds, making 7 of his 11 shots from the field (6-for-8 from three).
The Warriors now head down to Florida for a pair of Sunshine State matchups. They will play the Heat on Tuesday in Miami.