NBA results: Warriors lose to Timberwolves in Steph Curry’s return

The Golden State Warriors received some good news on Friday before hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their two Hall of Famers, Steph Curry and Draymond Green, both returned to the lineup.

Unfortunately, that’s where the good news ended. Steve Kerr opted to bring Green off the bench, allowing Jonathan Kuminga to remain in the starting lineup after his career game on Thursday. For a few games it looked like a great decision. Kuminga hit a three-pointer on the team’s first possession and Andrew Wiggins – Thursday’s other star – had seven early points. But they couldn’t build momentum from it.

When Green came into the game he immediately caused some offense but the Wolves, finally finding their rhythm after a spectacular 2023/24 season, played well and built a lead. The Dubs got back into the game with a 7-0 run and ended the quarter tied at 31.

And then came the sales. They came in droves and in inexcusable ways. After scoring two points early in the frame, the Warriors allowed Minnesota to score 12 consecutive points, and it wasn’t until a Greens layup with about 5:30 left – which broke a streak of eight straight missed shots – that they scored Dubs score again. The Wolves were shooting the ball out and the Warriors were giving the ball away on seemingly every possession. Suddenly it was a 23-2 run and a 19-point deficit, and the game felt out of reach.

However, under Green’s leadership, Golden State began to bring things together. They ended the half with an 11-2 run and trailed 56-46 at the break.

But then came bad news. Moses Moody didn’t leave the tunnel at halftime, and early in the third quarter Wiggins aggravated his ankle injury. Both players were quickly eliminated for the rest of the game. It seemed to give the Warriors a hint of motivation, however, as they went on an 11-4 run to start the quarter, making it a one-possession game and forcing the Wolves to call a timeout.

And then the turnovers returned, prompting Ryan Ruocco on the ESPN broadcast to aptly proclaim that “there were a lot of aggressive bad passes tonight,” referring to just one of the teams on the field.

The turning point came just over a minute before the end. The Wolves had again extended their lead to nine points when Gary Payton II broke through to the rim and ended the game through contact, giving them a chance for a three-point play. But Minnesota challenged the call and won. However, Curry briefly regained momentum and hit a difficult three-pointer with just 0.6 seconds left, leaving the deficit 78-72 at the start of the fourth quarter.

An early three-pointer from Curry ensured there was only one possession left in the fourth, and then all hell broke loose. Mike Conley made a wild three-pointer, followed by a four-point play from Anthony Edwards. Golden State’s turnovers got worse, dumber and dumber, more and more inexcusable, leading to a 17-2 run that ended with Kerr waving the white flag.

Despite a season-worst 22 turnovers (and just 20 assists), the Warriors lost 107-90.

Curry led the way with 23 points but shot just 6 of 17 from the field. Kuminga dropped 13 points but was just 6 of 15. Green had a well-rounded 10 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block, but had a handful of questionable passes despite only two turnovers. Curry, Kuminga, Buddy Hield and Gary Payton II each had three turnovers.

The Dubs shot just 39.0% from the field and 28.2% on threes. The Minnesota starters, led by Edwards with 30 points, outscored the Golden State starters 86-57.

But the Warriors will get a chance for revenge when the teams face off again on Sunday night.