Curry scores 44 as Timberwolves lose 119-114 in first game without Anthony Edwards

The Minnesota Timberwolves' first game without Anthony Edwards went about as feared for 36 minutes, then turned into a near-miracle comeback that came up short. Stephen Curry scored 44 points and the Golden State Warriors held on for a 119-114 win at Target Center on Wednesday, dropping Minnesota to 3-2 after a 3-0 start.

Curry was 11 of 27 from the field with six 3-pointers and went 16 of 16 at the line, according to the Associated Press. ESPN reported that Golden State's plan was to run Curry through high screens early to pull Rudy Gobert away from the rim, and Minnesota's coverage behind that action never settled. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg added 26 for the Warriors, who have now won two straight after an 0-3 start.

The Wolves trailed 64-48 at halftime, per the Star Tribune, and Canis Hoopus noted the deficit grew to 24 in the third quarter before a bench group of Joan Beringer, Terrence Shannon Jr., Jaylen Clark, Bones Hyland and Trey Lyles cut it to 12 by the end of the period. Minnesota got within four with 32 seconds left, but Jaden McDaniels missed two open looks from deep on consecutive trips. Fouling hurt throughout: the Wolves were whistled 29 times and Golden State shot 37 free throws, reaching the bonus with 8:45 still left in the fourth.

Jonathan Kuminga, facing the team that drafted him, led Minnesota with 20 points and hit three of six 3-point attempts. McDaniels and Shannon each scored 19. LaMelo Ball, the club's major offseason addition, struggled for a second straight game, finishing with eight points on 3-of-11 shooting, eight assists and six turnovers. Gobert played 20 minutes and did not make a field goal for the second game running, while Beringer went 3 for 3 with nine rebounds.

The backdrop is the bigger story. Edwards had arthroscopic surgery scheduled on his right knee, the same knee that troubled him late last season, and ESPN's Shams Charania reported he could miss up to two months. Edwards was averaging 33.3 points through four games and scored 47 in Monday's overtime loss at Cleveland.

What it means for Friday against the Clippers

Minnesota hosts the LA Clippers on Friday, October 30, the start of NBA Cup group play. The season lines show how quickly the picture has shifted. The Wolves won their first three by an average of more than 23 points, beating Miami 131-106, Orlando 115-93 and Toronto 117-94. Since then they have dropped two in a row by a combined seven points, and they have still outscored opponents by 63 points across five games.

Those two narrow losses point both ways. With Edwards, Minnesota fell in overtime at Cleveland. Without him, it trailed by 24 and still nearly caught the Warriors. Coach Chris Finch's bench-heavy lineups gave the team life in the second half. Friday will show whether he keeps leaning on them, and whether Ball can carry the offense as the primary creator in a way he has not over the last two games.

Full coverage of the team is on our Timberwolves page.