Golden State Warriors 119, Minnesota Timberwolves 114: Curry's 44 outlasts the comeback

Stephen Curry scored 44 points and Golden State built enough of a cushion in the first half to survive everything Minnesota threw at it after the break. The Warriors beat the Timberwolves 119-114 on Wednesday night at Target Center, after leading by as many as 24.

Minnesota won the second half 66-55. The 16-point halftime hole was too deep.

How it was won

The game was decided in the first two quarters. Golden State scored 30 in the first and 34 in the second, and went to the locker room up 64-48. Minnesota's largest lead of the night was 5, and it never got back in front once the Warriors took control.

The Wolves came out of halftime with 33 in the third, but Golden State answered with 29 of its own, so the gap only shrank to 93-81 going into the fourth. Minnesota scored 33 more in the final quarter and held the Warriors to 26, which made it close at the end without ever flipping it.

Curry did the heavy lifting: 44 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, with 6-of-16 shooting from three. Yaxel Lendeborg added 26 points and 9 rebounds, and Brandon Williams had 11.

The shooting percentages were identical at 44 percent, so the difference came from elsewhere:

• Free throws: Golden State went 30-of-37; Minnesota went 19-of-27. That is an 11-point gap at the line in a five-point game.
• Rebounds: Warriors 53, Wolves 42.
• Points in the paint: Warriors 54, Wolves 46.

Minnesota tried to make it up from deep, going 15-of-45 on threes against Golden State's 11-of-35. It moved the ball well, with 31 assists to the Warriors' 25, and turned it over 15 times to Golden State's 17. But a 33 percent night on that many attempts did not cover the deficit at the line and on the glass.

Jonathan Kuminga led the Wolves with 20 points, 5 assists and 3-of-6 from three. Jaden McDaniels had 19 points and 7 rebounds but went 1-of-8 from deep. Terrence Shannon Jr. also scored 19, with 6 rebounds, on 1-of-5 from three.

Against the number

Minnesota closed as a 3.5-point favorite, and Golden State covered by winning outright. The Warriors were +130 on the moneyline against the Wolves at -155, so the underdog cashed on both the spread and the straight-up price.

The total closed at 227.5. The teams combined for 233, so the over hit. The first half alone produced 112 points, and Minnesota's 66-point second half pushed it past the number.

Full closing odds and the market's movement are on the game page.

What's next

Minnesota falls to 3-2 and has now lost two straight after opening with three wins. Both losses were close: 127-125 at Cleveland and this five-point defeat at home. The earlier wins over Miami, Orlando and Toronto all came by 21 points or more.

The Wolves host the LA Clippers on Friday, October 30 (NBA League Pass / ClipperVision). The questions for that one are the same as this one: avoiding a slow start, and closing the gap at the free-throw line and on the boards.

Golden State improves to 2-3. Its next game was not part of the schedule information available for this recap.