Curry’s seven three-pointers put the Warriors over the T-Wolves

Steph Curry had seen the Golden State Warriors lose games too many times this season because they were too cold in the fourth quarter. When Saturday’s road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves got within two points with less than four minutes left, Curry took matters into his own hands and went on a personal 11-2 run to defeat the Wolves.

Curry scored 31 points and added 10 assists in a 113-103 win. The Warriors broke a nearly two-week, three-game losing streak that dated back to the Dubs’ win over the Timberwolves with Curry scoring 30 points on December 8.

Golden State led by as many as 21 points in the second quarter, which is dangerous given their recent performances. With a double-digit lead, the Warriors were almost certain to blow that lead in the second half when they last led 9-2. This also happened on Saturday when the Timberwolves retook the lead with 10:15 left in the fourth.

But something funny happened. Not only did the Warriors continue to score, they also held their own thanks to superior shooting at the free throw line. Rudy Gobert missed the and-one after his go-ahead basket and Jonathan Kuminga made three of his next four free throws. Golden State made 9 of 10 free throws in the final quarter, while Gobert shot 0 of 3 and the Wolves shot 6 of 10.

The Curry Flurry saved the game. With the Dubs clinging to a 96-94 lead, Curry hit a three-pointer and then fouled Jaden McDaniels for two free throws. After Andrew Wiggins blocked Julius Randle, Curry made another three-pointer and after two Wolves free throws, he made a 25-footer and it was night-night in Minneapolis.

With Draymond Green sidelined with ankle soreness or perhaps legally prohibited from being within 100 feet of Gobert, the Warriors started Kyle Anderson and Trayce Jackson-Davis in the frontcourt. TJD had a great game compared to Gobert, scoring 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting along with nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Eight of those points came in the final quarter. Jackson-Davis scored on three straight possessions midway through the quarter, including a putback dunk after a Kuminga miss.

That was another big difference from recent Warriors games: four dunks in the final quarter. When Minnesota got within seven points, Andrew Wiggins slammed the basketball and tied the game with an alley-oop from Gary Payton II.

Wiggins had a limited shooting game and showed what experts call a “Come Original” as he shot 3-for-11. But he also had three steals and two blocks and shined in the first half, in which the Warriors held the Wolves to 37 points.

Kuminga proved that amber is the color of his energy by also shooting 3-for-11 and scoring 11 points. Buddy Hield also had 11, Brandin Podziemski scored 12 and collected 7 rebounds, and Gary Payton II had four assists and a non-Curry game-high +12 plus/minus. All 10 Warriors had at least one assist, while the team finished with 30 assists.

For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards shot 6 of 20 and scored 19 points. That was the best team winner with Michael Jordan of Delaware, Donte DiVincenzo. Gobert had 18 points, 12 rebounds and major flashbacks to France’s loss to Team USA in the Olympic gold medal game, where Curry sank a series of three-pointers against hapless French centers.

Golden State played good defense in the first half, but Minnesota also shot unusually poorly. That rebounded significantly in the third quarter when the Wolves shot 15 for 21 and made six three-pointers en route to 38 points. Things could have been worse if Minnesota hadn’t had five turnovers, solid shots from Podz and DiVincenzo making the free throw after Dennis Schroder’s first technical foul as a Warrior. Someone had to take Draymond out!

Podziemski hit a great shot to end the first half, continuing his upward trend in outside shooting. In his last six games he scored 11 of 25 goals from behind the arc.

Have the Warriors turned a corner in terms of late-game execution? Maybe they needed more confidence from Curry and the other guards. Or maybe they just need to play the Timberwolves more often.