On Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors received a good old-fashioned beating from the Dallas Mavericks. That game ended with a final score of 133-103. Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Warriors played better.

The Dubs shot the ball well (49.4% overall and 15-of-38 from 3) and only turned the ball over 10 times, with Stephen Curry going for 37 points. They even defended the Timberwolves stars relatively well. Karl-Anthony Towns finished 22 points on 6-of-18 shooting. D'Angelo Russell only had seven points on 3-of-11 shooting.

So, what went wrong in the 126-114 defeat that has the Warriors under .500 at 31-32?

You could easily blame a surprising 26 points from point guard Ricky Rubio. Or the 20 made 3-pointers by the Timberwolves.

Article Continues Below
More Warriors News
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) defends against Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) during the fourth quarter at Chase Center.
Warriors’ Draymond Green shares clear opinion on Kevin Durant’s trade to RocketsRichard Pereira ·
Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) shoots over Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez (11) during the third quarter at Fiserv Forum.
Bucks rumors: Will Milwaukee pursue trade for Andrew Wiggins?Julian Ojeda ·
Siegel's Scoop with Jonathan Kuminga, Myles Turner, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Anfernee Simons
Siegel’s Scoop: Latest Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga, NBA free agency intelBrett Siegel ·
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) runs down the court against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter at Paycom Center.
Warriors make $7.9 million Jonathan Kuminga qualifying offerJaren Kawada ·
Mike Dunleavy Jr with a thought bubble over his head. In the thought bubble: draft picks Will Richard and Alex Toohey
Warriors’ Mike Dunleavy Jr. lays out honest 2025 outlook for rookiesKenzo Fukuda ·
Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Jonathan Kumina with "looking" emoji's around them and a big question mark in between them.
Warriors’ Mike Dunleavy Jr. adds to Jonathan Kuminga free-agency mysteryKenzo Fukuda ·

But it was clear as day that rebounds were the difference in this game. Offensive rebounding caused a massive separation in the rebounding category. The Timberwolves outrebounded the Warriors, 57-34, grabbing 16 offensive rebounds in the process and racking up an 18-8 advantage in second chance points. Minnesota wound up with nine more shot attempts and eight more attempts from the charity stripe.

Steve Kerr said he didn't think the lack of rebounding had anything to do with being a small team. He felt it had more to do with players in the NBA not boxing out. Why wouldn't professional basketball players box out on the regular?

“Because most of these guys didn't have a high school and college coach yelling at them for a combined eight straight years. It's a different world today, and players grow up in a different way in terms of just their basketball background, and the detail is often the thing that is lacking,” Steve Kerr told ClutchPoints.

After losing their last two contests, the Warriors are looking to rebound Saturday against the Houston Rockets with a much-needed victory. Golden State's spot in the play-in tournament is not yet secure, with the New Orleans Pelicans just three games back and three matchups between the two teams still on the schedule before the end of the regular season.