SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen Curry scored 36 points with seven 3-pointers, Andrew Wiggins took it to his old Timberwolves team for 23 points and the Golden State Warriors beat Minnesota 130-108 on Monday night after coach Steve Kerr messed up his first five points.
Playing the Timberwolves for the first time since his trade last February, Wiggins displayed a consistency lacking when he played in Minneapolis. He drove the lane for pull-up jumpers, dived in, hit from a great distance, made three steals, blocked three shots and grabbed all six of his rebounds on the attack glass.
More Timberwolves coverage
Curry shot 11 for 21 overall and 7 of 12 from deep as the Warriors avoided their first loss in three games of the season.
Malik Beasley scored 30 points with four threes and led Minnesota, which fell back early with poor shots and failed to gain momentum after losing four games on Saturday.
Curry has 2,569 career 3 points after overtaking Reggie Miller for second place in NBA history in Saturday’s loss to Jazz. Ray Allen is first at 2,973.
Miller offered a congratulatory message on the big screen on Monday during a first quarter break.
Golden State got off to a far better start after falling 14-0 in Jazz and 40 points behind in a 127-108 defeat in Utah.
D’Angelo Russell was arrested in his first match against his former Warriors team for an injured right quadriceps muscle.
Russell made 33 games for Golden State last season before Wiggins moved to the Bay Area.
“Well, last year was a complete mess for our team and our organization with all the injuries. We were lucky enough to be able to sign D’Angelo, ”said Kerr. “D’Angelo has been a very productive player for us. He turned off the lights and played some big games. ”
The shorthanded #Timberwolves made several games in their loss to the Warriors, including a ridiculous dunk from Anthony Edwards.
Highlights ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/1TF5HJXE9C
– FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) January 26, 2021
NEW LINEUP
Kerr mixed it up by starting Kevon Looney in the middle instead of rookie James Wiseman to improve defense with a more experienced unit.
Kerr spoke to Wiseman earlier in the day, and the second largest draft pick handled that well. He will slip into Looney’s role in the middle of the first and third quarters.
“He understands that it’s not a downgrade, it’s just part of his development,” said Kerr.
Wiseman threw himself on a putback in the middle of the third run after a missed 3 from Curry.
“This is what is expected of us as professionals every night … you shouldn’t pat yourself on the back for effort and hard work. It’s an every night thing.”
Hear from #Timberwolves Coach Ryan Saunders after their loss to the Warriors. pic.twitter.com/P5JKMnwJcl
– FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) January 26, 2021
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Jarred Vanderbilt met the eye when he was fouled by Draymond Green at 5:34 mark of the third. Then Green was hit by a technician. … Minnesota has not won at the Warriors’ home stadium since a 124-117 win in extra time on April 5, 2016.… Ricky Rubio shot only 8-1, but distributed 11 assists. … Minnesota C Karl-Anthony Towns missed his fifth game in a row after announcing on Jan. 15 that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. The Timberwolves are 2-10 with no cities in the lineup this season – one of them wins a 120-110 home win over the Pelicans on Saturday night.
Warriors: Golden State scored a total of 45 bank points, with all but rookie Nico Mannion scoring one goal. Mannion is slated to head to Orlando in the second round with Jordan Poole and Alen Smailagić, who are about to practice, to compete in the G-League bubble. “It’s something that I think could be very productive for everyone,” said Kerr.
NEXT
The teams will compete against each other again on Wednesday evening at the Chase Center to end their two-game series.
