Curry scores 44 as Timberwolves, without Anthony Edwards, fall 119-114 to Warriors

The Minnesota Timberwolves got their first look at life without Anthony Edwards at Target Center, and it went badly for most of the night. Stephen Curry scored 44 points, and the Golden State Warriors built a lead as big as 24 before holding off a late Minnesota push to win 119-114. It was the second straight loss for the Wolves, who are now 3-2.

According to NBC Sports Bay Area, Edwards sat out with a knee injury, and his absence left Minnesota's starting group looking lost. Golden State's starters outscored Minnesota's 88-55. The Warriors also won the free-throw battle 35-27 and outrebounded the Wolves 52-42, which is how a team gets out in front early and stays there.

Curry did most of the damage in the second quarter. He scored 17 points in the first six minutes of the period and had 19 by halftime on 6-of-10 shooting, 5 of 7 from three. Chris Finch tried several answers. Jaden McDaniels took the assignment first, Ayo Dosunmu got a turn, and then McDaniels went back on him, with some top-locking and a box-and-one mixed in. None of it stuck. Curry got more physical with McDaniels, came off screens and went at Rudy Gobert in space. He finished 11 of 27 from the field, 6 of 16 from deep and a perfect 16 of 16 at the line, with eight rebounds and six assists.

The Wolves got back into it late, and Golden State's rookie Yaxel Lendeborg helped them do it. He had 26 points and eight rebounds but also committed seven turnovers. Lendeborg also grabbed the rebound that sealed the game with 7.6 seconds left.

Jonathan Kuminga led Minnesota with 20 points against his former team. He shot 7 of 15, made 3 of 6 from three and added five assists, three rebounds and two steals in 32 minutes as the starting small forward. Two steady perimeter performers can't easily replace what Edwards provides, and this game showed it.

What it means for Friday against the Clippers

The first three games of the season were blowouts. Minnesota won at Miami 131-106, at Orlando 115-93 and at home against Toronto 117-94, an average margin of more than 23 points. The last two have been close losses: 127-125 at Cleveland and now 119-114 at home to Golden State. The margins are small, but the first loss came with Edwards and this one came without him.

The LA Clippers visit on Friday, October 30, on NBA League Pass and ClipperVision. Watch the opening minutes. The loss to Golden State was decided by how the starting five handled the first half, not by the finish. Kuminga at small forward and the McDaniels-Dosunmu pairing on the opponent's top scorer are the pieces Finch has to sort out. Minnesota also needs to clean up the defensive glass and stop sending opponents to the line, since those two areas let the Warriors build their lead. A third straight loss would drop the Wolves to .500 heading into November.

Whether Edwards is available is the biggest question, and the team has not given a timeline. Follow the latest on our Timberwolves team page.