MINNEAPOLIS — — Anthony Edwards scored 23 points and made 3 of 4 free throws in the final 12 seconds for the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 114-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night.
Naz Reid had 20 points and a season-high 12 rebounds and Rudy Gobert added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Wolves, who tied their season high with 21 3-pointers on 40 attempts.
“When we go to paintball where there are people, let’s do a kick. It’s just simple basketball stuff that we do really well,” coach Chris Finch said.
Steph Curry scored 31 points for the Warriors, but he missed the game-tying 3-point try with 1:27 left.
After rebounding a forced 3-pointer from Edwards, Curry took the rebound all the way for a layup that cut the lead to one. But Edwards was fouled and made two foul shots, before rebounding Klay Thompson’s missed three-pointer from the wing – a play that Wolves assistant coach Micah Nori correctly warned players to watch in the group.
Mike Conley added 14 points and seven assists for the Wolves (49-22), who are a game behind Denver (50-21) in the Western Conference race and a half-game behind Oklahoma City (49 -21). The Nuggets overtook the Thunder, who lost at Milwaukee on Sunday.
The Warriors led by 12 points in the first half. With the most prolific 3-point shooting game in NBA history on the other side in Curry, the Wolves put on an outside shooting display in tribute.
With Curry rested late in the third quarter and well into the fourth at the start of a five-game, eight-day road trip, the backups carried the Wolves on a plus-12 streak. Nickeil Alexander-Walker made three 3-pointers during that run.
“Everyone was talking, communicating,” Edwards said. “It was a wonderful thing to see. I was happy to be sitting there. I can rest and take a break.
It was Golden State’s only visit to Minnesota this season, giving both teams more than four months to calm down after the Wolves won back-to-back games in San Francisco, the second of which Draymond Green was ejected in the opening minutes for having put Gobert in a draw. headlock.
The Warriors (36-34) were hampered by their lack of effort in a 12-point loss to Indiana at home on Friday, still trying to fall into 10th place in the Western Conference for the final spot in play-in in a precarious position with the rise of Houston (35-35) one game behind them.
“The habits improved a lot tonight – the defensive focus, the effort, the energy,” coach Steve Kerr said. “I’m confident that if we’re competitive and play like that in the last 12 games, we’re going to put ourselves in position.”
The Wolves had eight turnovers in their first 17 possessions in less than eight minutes, and they set a season low with 18 points in the first quarter, but Reid came to their rescue again.
The fan favorite, who delighted the Target Center crowd with 18 points during his beach towel handout party Friday in a decisive win over Cleveland, made his first five 3-point attempts. Reid is averaging 14.6 points in 15 career games against the Warriors, the second-highest of his career against any other NBA team.
“We are very deep. This team is great,” Reid said. “Everyone is doing their best, so everyone has the right intentions. Everyone has the right mindset. It’s everyone’s day at all times.”
FOLLOWING
Warriors: Visit Miami on Tuesday.
Timberwolves: Host Detroit on Wednesday.
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