After a hard fought first half, the Warriors seized control in the third quarter
and ran away with a 125-101 home victory over the visiting Minnesota
Timberwolves on Wednesday night. Klay Thompson led all scorers with six
three-pointers and 28 points, 20 of which came in the decisive second half.
Stephen Curry totaled 22 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Andre
Iguodala started in place of the injured Kevin Durant and scored a season-high
11 points. With the win, Golden State improves to 9-3 on the season.
GAME LEADERS GSW MIN Points Thompson – 28 Curry – 22 Casspi – 13 Wiggins – 17
Towns – 16 Gibson/Teague – 14 Rebounds Curry – 8 Green – 6 Pachulia/Thompson – 5
Towns – 12 Gibson – 7 Dieng – 7 Assists Curry – 8 Green – 6 Livingston/Young – 5
Butler – 5 Teague – 5 Wiggins – 3 Photo Gallery | Box Score | Highlights
THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT THE THIRD QUARTER
It was a bit of an odd game, as both teams appeared a bit sluggish throughout
the first half, over the course of which neither side generated a lead of
greater than six points. However, upon resumption of the second half, Golden
State quickly took the game over. Karl-Anthony Towns opened the third quarter
with a three-point play to give Minnesota a slight two-point advantage, but
following a Draymond Green free throw and Stephen Curry jumper, the Warriors
immediately jumped back in front, where they would remain for the duration of
the contest.
After Towns’ layup pulled Minnesota within 67-64 with 6:46 remaining in the
third frame, Klay Thompson knocked down a three-pointer seven seconds later to
complete a sequence in which he accounted for eight points in just over a minute
of action. Taj Gibson’s dunk on the ensuing possession cut the deficit to four,
but that’s as close as the Timberwolves would get for the rest of the night, as
Thompson’s layup 26 seconds later ignited an 18-4 Warriors run over the next
four minutes that would ultimately put the game out of reach.
.@KlayThompson with 8 points in 71 seconds pic.twitter.com/a2deeI4Jiu–
GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) November 9, 2017
.@KlayThompson with 8 points in 71 seconds pic.twitter.com/a2deeI4Jiu
After scoring 51 points in the first half, Golden State would go on to total 44
points in the third quarter alone. It was the Warriors’ fourth 40-point quarter
of the season, and their 23rd since the start of last season, which is more than
twice as many as any other team over that span.
OUT ON THE BREAK One of the main reasons Golden State was able to break the game
open in the third quarter was their dominance on the fast break. The Warriors
outscored the Timberwolves 35-14 in fast break points in the game, including a
19-0 margin in the decisive third frame.
STEPPING UP The Warriors topped the 120-point plateau for the third time in
their last five games, but on Wednesday, they had to do so without the help of
Kevin Durant, who missed the game with a left thigh contusion. Andre Iguodala
took Durant’s place in the starting lineup, and rewarded Steve Kerr with a
season-high 11 points. It was only the second time in the Kerr era that Iguodala
started a regular season game.
BALANCED ATTACK When you’re without one of the most dominant scorers in the
game, it’s going to require a team effort to get the job done, and that’s
exactly what the Warriors got on Wednesday night. Six different players scored
in double-figures, and another six each totaled at least three assists. Omri
Casspi and Nick Young played a large role in particular, combining for 25
points, six assists, six steals and four three-pointers off the bench.
Casspi getting it done on both ends
A post shared by Golden State Warriors (@warriors) on Nov 8, 2017 at 9:29pm PST
MARGIN OF VICTORY Don’t look now, but the Warriors are rolling. Wednesday’s
victory pushed Golden State’s winning streak to five games, and it’s not as if
they’ve been close games either. It was the fourth time over the course of the
winning streak that they won by a margin of 19 points or more. Overall, Golden
State has outscored their opponents by 108 points, or 21.6 points per game
during their current streak.
UP NEXT The Warriors are halfway through their homestand, meaning there are two
more chances to see the Dubs before they head out on the road again. First up is
a matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, which has an early tipoff of
5:30 p.m. Then, Golden State will close out their homestand on Monday, when they
host the Orlando Magic on Stephen Curry Bobblehead Night. Find Tickets
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