The Minnesota Timberwolves continued their road trip with a game in the Bay Area to take on Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. The Warriors were playing on the second night of a back-to-back in this one. While the home Dubs showed some resiliency, the Timberwolves got the win by a final score of 116-110. Here are two instant overreactions from the Wolves continuing their winning streak in a win against the Warriors.

Three All-NBA Contributors

Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns hyped up, with Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert celebrating beside him and a hyped up Target Center crowd in the background

As prefaced before the season began, Minnesota has a realistic pathway to having multiple players receive All-NBA honors by year’s end. Those three are, of course, Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Anthony Edwards

Let’s begin with Anthony Edwards, who is the most deserving but has the hardest pathway. Last season, Edwards was eligible for All-NBA voting at both guard and forward. Ultimately, he did not make the cut, but this year he should be strongly in consideration. Edwards concluded Sunday’s battle against Golden State with 33 points, six rebounds and seven assists.

Through nine games, Ant is averaging 28.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists. His scoring and assist marks are career-high averages for him early on in the season. In addition to his raw traditional counting stats, Ant has been highly efficient for Minnesota. Shooting 48.7% from the field (another career-high mark), 36.1% from 3-point territory and 83.6% from the line. Edwards is an astounding +121 through the first nine games. Ant’s production has gone from All-Star level to All-NBA level, no doubt.

Rudy Gobert

Next up is Rudy Gobert, who might be playing some of the best basketball of his career. Gobert appears to be in tip-top shape after a down year last season. Gobert’s return to form has anchored the No. 1 defense in the NBA early on. Gobert has been instrumental in forming Minnesota’s team identity.

The Wolves currently rank top-five in the NBA in rebounds per game with over 47 boards per contest. Gobert has led the way for Minnesota by averaging 12.4 rebounds, over 25% of the team’s total boards. In addition to his remarkable work on the glass, Gobert’s rim protection and activity level on defense have been incredible. After his five blocks Sunday night, Gobert now averages 2.2 blocks on the season. This is the ninth season of Gobert’s career with at least two blocks per game.

Gobert’s screen-setting, off-ball rim pressure and size have allowed him to contribute to a degree on offense. Gobert is scoring 12.2 points per game and has posted a double-double in eight of the Wolves’ nine games this season. As a four-time All-NBA player already, Gobert seems slated to earn more hardware this season.

Karl-Anthony Towns

Karl-Anthony Towns is also a former All-NBA center. This year is quite different, though, for KAT. Towns would likely garner All-NBA consideration as a forward this rather rather than at center.

Additionally, his candidacy looks way different from past versions of himself. This year, Towns is doing his top-tier work on the defensive end of the floor. Despite a rough start to the year shooting the ball, Towns has still been a huge positive for Minnesota.

Sunday night, Towns poured in 21 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. His all-around game has taken a giant leap forward amidst some of his personal sacrifices for the team. Playing alongside Gobert limits some of Towns’ production as a scorer, but not his importance to the team. Towns has taken the challenge of defending perimeter players this year and has done an admiral job.

The Wolves are giving up just 105.1 points per 100 possessions with Towns on the court this season, the best mark of his career by a substantial amount. With a net rating of +10.5, Towns has been a massive source of success as a starting power forward. As Towns finds his rhythm on offense, the Timberwolves will become a unique team with size, length, defensive flexibility and offensive firepower.

Western Conference Contenders

Timberwolves president Tim Connelly made a big gamble by trading a massive package of picks and players for future Hall of Famer Rudy Gobert. The first season of Minnesota's double-big experiment had trials, tribulations and failures. The second season of this endeavor is off to a completely different start, with the Timberwolves looking dominant.

With a 7-2 record, the Wolves currently sit third in the Western Conference. After dropping the season opener against Toronto and a blown lead in Atlanta, Minnesota has been exceptional. Minnesota is currently on a six-game win streak, tied for the sixth-longest in franchise history.

In this stretch, the Timberwolvevs have beaten some very good, well-respected teams. Notable wins include a wire-to-wire victory over the reigning champion Denver Nuggets, an overtime thriller against the Boston Celtics and a narrow win in Golden State despite Steph Curry dropping 38 points on just 25 shots.

Minnesota’s game planning and defensive execution have been incredible. The toughness and grit this team has shown behind Edwards’ late-game shotmaking is atypical for most Minnesota franchises. The Timberwolves are a shining bright spot this season and should be regarded  as a true contenders.

The Wolves currently have the top defense in the Association. With one of the best starting lineups in the league, a bench unit led by Naz Reid and Kyle Anderson and an established team identity, Minnesota could be a real threat to any team in a seven-game series.

Minnesota's next game is against Golden State for a second consecutive time on Tuesday. This matchup will take place at Chase Center for the continuation of the NBA In-Season Tournament.