SAN FRANCISCO – The opponent was the same, but the product on the court and the result were much different two days apart.
The Warriors on Friday night only mustered 90 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 17-point loss. On Sunday, they had 93 points through three quarters and outlasted Anthony Edwards and Co. for a huge 114-106 win at Chase Center.
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Draymond Green put the Timberwolves to sleep with an emphatic dunk and then he dropped Steph Curry's legendary 'night night' celebration.
Draymond hit the “night night” on Rudy Gobert and the Wolves 😅
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 9, 2024
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Curry scored a game-high 30 points and made five 3-pointers. It was his third 30-point performance of the season and first since Nov. 12. Curry was joined by a monster performance from Buddy Hield, who gave Golden State 27 points, including seven threes.
Hield's 27 points were his most since scoring 27 on Nov. 2. It also was the first time he had 20 or more points since Nov. 4.
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The smaller Warriors won with will, outrebounding the Timberwolves 45-39. They had 18 more points in the paint than Minnesota, and 15 more second-chance points.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ win.
Steph Show
Following a one-game absence on the first night of a back-to-back, Curry scored 23 points against the Timberwolves on Friday night but did so while going 6 of 17 from the field and 3 of 9 behind the 3-point line.
The Timberwolves are long, aggressive and have a stifling defense when they’re at their best. Jaden McDaniels, at 6-foot-9 with a near-7-foot wingspan, is one of the better defenders in basketball and makes nights hard for everybody – Curry included.
McDaniels made things tough on Curry to begin the game, as the Warriors’ superstar scored just four points in the first quarter. Then came a Curry flurry in the second quarter.
Curry in the second quarter took advantage of any crease he could get. Once there was an inch of space, Curry made Minnesota pay. He exploded for 15 points in the second quarter on 5-of-8 shooting, including 3 of 6 on threes. His 19 points were his most for a first half all season.
The only problem was, no other Warrior had more than eight points in the first half. The scoring didn’t stop for Curry. Coming out of halftime, he dropped another nine in the third quarter -- including an epic buzzer-beater -- and two more in the fourth.
STEPH FROM WAY DOWNTOWN 🔥🔥🔥
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 9, 2024
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Hield Gets Hot
Steve Kerr had to get creative with his starting lineup with Andrew Wiggins out due to a right ankle impingement. Gary Payton II was inserted to guard Edwards, and Hield was part of the group for his shooting.
Lately though, Hield’s shot has gone ice-cold, until Sunday night. Hield missed both of his 3-point attempts last game and was 1 of 6 the game before. Since going 5 of 8 from 3-point range on Nov. 27, he went 5 of 18 (27.8 percent) beyond the arc over his next four games, averaging just 6.5 points.
Hield was held scoreless in the first quarter Sunday, missing both of his 3-point tries, including an airball. Slowly but surely, he began heating up. Hield scored eight points in the second quarter and then 11 big-time points as the Warriors dropped 44 on the Timberwolves in the third quarter, giving them a 93-90 lead going into the fourth.
Buddy is heating up 🔥
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 9, 2024
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The biggest shot of the game undoubtedly belonged to Hield, hitting a corner three with 57 seconds left, giving the Warriors a 112-106 lead.
No TJD
The Timberwolves employ one of the tallest players in the NBA with the 7-1 Gobert, and yet, the Warriors’ starting center from their season opener sat the entire game. Trayce Jackson-Davis didn’t have any reason to get out of his warmup gear. Kerr played 10 Warriors, and Jackson-Davis was one of them, joining only Pat Spencer and Gui Santos.
Jackson-Davis in his second season as a pro started the Warriors’ first 17 games. He played only four minutes off the bench in their 18th game, a four-point loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and then was back in the starting lineup where he played 15 minutes against the Phoenix Suns.
But Jackson-Davis now has been out of the starting lineup in four straight games. In the first three, he still averaged nearly 18 minutes a game. Sunday, however, was the first time Jackson-Davis wasn’t called upon.
The 6-9 center was a perfect 11 of 11 from the field in the Warriors’ first two games. In his first 11 games, Jackson-Davis was shooting 68.4 percent from the field, but his finishing has fallen off mightily since. In his last 11 games, he has shot 52.2 percent overall, and that number falls to a lowly 45 percent over his previous five games played.
Drafted No. 57 overall, Jackson-Davis was a difference-maker as a rookie. Now in Year 2, he’s trying to find where he fits best on the Warriors.
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