The Golden State Warriors have produced a much needed win away from home, staving off the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 113-103 victory at Target Center on Saturday night.
Curry flurry delivers Warriors win amid season-best performance from second-year big
Playing without Draymond Green who was dealing with an ankle issue, Stephen Curry powered the Warriors to victory with 11 points in a 90 second period in the final minutes. After trailing by as many as 21 during the second-quarter, the Timberwolves fought back to take the lead in the second-half, only for Curry to silence the doubters after his zero field-goal, two-point performance in Memphis on Thursday.
Stephen Curry delivered victory for the Warriors amid a season-best performance from Trayce Jackson-Davis
With the Warrior lead standing at two with just under four minutes remaining, Curry had a series of threes and two made free-throws on four straight possessions, pushing the Golden State lead out to 11 in the process.
Curry well and truly bounced back from Thursday's nightmare, pouring in a game-high 31 points and 10 assists in the 10-point win. It was the Warrior defense that was the talking point in the first-half, holding the Timberwolves to 37 points including a nearly eight-minute period where the home team went scoreless.
If anything Golden State's own offensive struggles limited them to what should have been far bigger than a 13-point lead at half-time, allowing Minnesota to climb back into the game with a 38-29 third-quarter.
Curry ensured the Warriors wouldn't leave empty-handed this time around, guiding his team to what's just their third victory in the past 12 games. The 2x MVP made seven threes and shot 10-of-21 from the field overall, while also finishing as a game-high +20.
Trayce Jackson-Davis was the other huge positive for the Warriors from an individual perspective, with the second-year big man standing up in the absence of Green. Jackson-Davis started alongside Kyle Anderson in a surprise Golden State front court, making immediete impact with six points and six rebounds during his first stint in the opening period.
The 24-year-old finished with an equal season-high 15 points to go with nine rebounds, playing with much more aggression that showed up in some vicious slams and a pair of blocks. Fellow sophomore Brandin Podziemski also continues to find some form, going for 12 points and seven rebounds on 5-of-9 shooting off the bench.
Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga also had 11 off the bench, while Andrew Wiggins and Dennis Schroder both had nine points in what was a 10-man rotation from Steve Kerr. Golden State kept Minnesota to less than 42% shooting and forced 15 turnovers, with Anthony Edwards going just 6-of-20 from the floor in 39 minutes.
The Warriors will be hoping to record back-to-back wins for the first time in over a month when they host the Indiana Pacers on Monday at Chase Center.
