The Golden State Warriors beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-104 on Sunday at Chase Center behind another vintage Klay Thompson performance. Here are three reactions from the Dubs' pivotal victory against a fellow team fighting tooth and nail for playoff positioning in the Western Conference.
Klay Thompson comes through in the clutch
Thompson led the Warriors' late second quarter surge, finding Jonathan Kuminga for a layup, draining a tough three to tie the game at 57-57 then breaking that tie with a slick runner shortly before the halftime buzzer. His hand stayed red hot after intermission, too, as Thompson poured in 12 of Golden State's 16 points over the first six minutes of the third quarter.
Thompson and the Warriors went ice cold from there, though. After his finger roll layup fell through as the third quarter game clock read 6:10, Golden State failed to score again until just below one minute remained in the period, missing nine straight shots—including eight threes.
The Timberwolves entered the fourth in ostensible control of the game as a result, ready to salt away a key victory with the Warriors down Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. Unfortunately for Minnesota, Klay had other plans.
Thompson's catch-and-shoot triple through screening elevator doors cut Minnesota's lead to four. On the the Dubs' next trip, he somehow managed to bank in a long two from the coffin corner despite being hounded by Austin Rivers. Thompson's sixth and final triple came off a dribble hand-off with Kevon Looney, his off-balance wing splash suddenly putting Golden State up 105-99 with 2:05 remaining.
That ridiculous late-game shot-making will get the most attention, and rightfully so. Thompson did what he does best when the Warriors needed him most. But his fingerprints were all over Golden State's success in the clutch even when Klay wasn't splashing contested jumpers from all over the floor.
These threes from Anthony Lamb and Donte DiVincenzo—awesome on both ends once again—were two of the biggest shots on Sunday, tying the game after Thompson kept Golden State within striking distance and then giving the home team its first lead since the beginning of the third quarter.
Who finds Lamb and DiVincenzo? Thompson, as the Wolves dedicated multiple defenders to keeping him from launching.
Steve Kerr challenged Thompson before Friday's win over the lowly Houston Rockets to impact the game in more ways than scoring. The jumpers, as always, will get the headlines, and indeed pulled the Warriors from the jaws of defeat.
But Golden State doesn't hold on to beat the Timberwolves if Thompson fails make the right passing read twice in a row as the outcome hung in the balance.
No Curry, no Wiggins, no Draymond…no problem?
Beating the Rockets without Curry, Wiggins and Green is one thing. But the Warriors emerging victorious without (arguably) their three best players against another Western Conference foe right in the thick of a crowded race for the postseason? As much as Golden State needed Sunday's game, no one would've been all that surprised if Minnesota simply proved too much for the thoroughly depleted Dubs.
The Warriors entered the action sporting a -9.0 net rating with Curry, Wiggins and Green off the floor this season, per Cleaning the Glass. Offense has been an issue, of course, Golden State fumbling the ball all over the floor with those guys on the bench, but defense has been the bigger problem—no surprise given Green's all-encompassing influence and Wiggins' status as a top-flight wing defender when locked in.
Give the Warriors credit for fighting back after a slow start against the Wolves. They trailed 23-9 midway through the first quarter, completely unable to contain Naz Reid on one end and failing to manage any consistent halfcourt flow on the other. Golden State picked up its intensity from there, started switching across five positions and made a more concerted effort to keep the ball moving.
Kerr pulled the right lineup levers, too, going small late to juice the Warriors' offense but quickly coming back to Kevon Looney for winning time. Patrick Baldwin Jr. provided a solid six-minute stint between the late third and early fourth quarters. Moses Moody didn't play in the second half after getting some run in the second quarter. When Looney came back in the clutch, Kerr left Lamb on the floor instead of Kuminga.
Just the fact Golden State was forced to choose between the likes of Lamb, Baldwin and Moody in a must-win game is indicative of just how much this team needs to be at full-strength before reaching its peak. There's no debating otherwise.
Behind another vintage outing from Thompson and several stellar contributions elsewhere, though, the Warriors were able to steal a win they sorely needed to keep their hopes of a top-six seed alive and well.
Warriors win free throw battle, own offensive glass
One way to compensate for a palpable lack of offensive dynamism and defensive teeth without Curry, Wiggins and Green? Winning the free throw battle and owning the offensive glass.
No team in the league sends opponents to the the free throw line more than Minnesota, per NBA.com/stats, a weakness Gobert's absence only exacerbates. That season-long trend certainly held true during Sunday's first half, when the Warriors went 13-of-18 at the line, outscoring Minnesota by six.
The Wolves did a better containing the ball following intermission, holding Golden State to just four free throws in the game's last 24 minutes. The Warriors won the free throw battle anyway, though, in large part due to Edwards' vexingly passive offensive approach and Minnesota clanking several key free throws. The Wolves finished just 11-of-21 from the stripe, tied for the fifth-fewest free throws they've made all season.
Just as significant to the victory was Golden State dominating the offensive boards. The Warriors' 16 offensive rebounds tied for their fourth-most this season, with Looney grabbing half of them all by himself. They outscored Minnesota 19-15 in second-chance points, and would've had many more if open triples were falling at the rate they normally do after Looney, Lamb and company sprayed the ball out to the perimeter.
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