OAKLAND – The Warriors had Draymond Green’s back, had it so well that without him they were able to run away with their 11th consecutive victory.
Completing a back-to-back, road-and-home set, the Warriors on Saturday night returned to Oracle Arena and, after a sluggish start, found their stride in a 115-102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Stephen Curry (34), Kevin Durant (28) and Klay Thompson (23) combined for 85 points to lead the offense. With Green sitting out to protect a contusion on his left ankle, it was a team effort on defense, particularly in the middle quarters, when Minnesota was held to 40 points.
The Warriors (15-2) recorded only 25 assists, snapping at 10 their streak of games with at least 30, a franchise record.
Shooting guard Zach LaVine scored 31 points to lead the Timberwolves (5-11), while center Karl-Anthony Towns had 18.
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STANDOUT PERFORMERS:
This was, for all intents and purposes, a Curry-Durant production.
Curry’s line: 34 points (13-of-19 from the field, including 4-of-8 beyond the arc, 4-of-4 from the line), seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. He played 37 minutes and finished plus-18 for the game.
Durant’s line: 28 points (10-of-17, 3-of-4, 5-of-5), 10 rebounds, five assists and a career-high six blocked shots. He played 38 minutes and was plus-11.
TURNING POINT:
After a Ricky Rubio jumper gave Minnesota a 44-43 lead with 3:29 left in the second quarter, the Warriors responded with a 21-6 run spanning the end of the first half and the beginning of the second for a 64-50 lead with 8:53 left in the third quarter.
The Timberwolves got no closer than eight over the remainder of the game.
INJURY UPDATE:
Warriors: F Draymond Green (L ankle contusion) and G Ian Clark (throat/neck soreness) were listed as questionable and declared out prior to tipoff. C Damian Jones is on assignment with the D-League Santa Cruz Warriors.
Timberwolves: C Nikola Pekovic (R ankle pain) was listed as out.
WHAT’S NEXT:
The Warriors return to action Monday night, when they play host to the Atlanta Hawks at Oracle Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:40.