MINNESOTA – Klay Thompson got hot in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 of his 30 points to carry the Warriors to a 116-108 over the struggling Timberwolves in a game that had all the makings of a possible upset.
It had been 110 games since the Warriors lost back-to-back contests and no other contest in recent memory gave Steve Kerr as much of a scare as Sunday evening in Minnesota. Trailing by 10 entering the fourth quarter, the Warriors quickly erased the deficit.
After a poor performance against the Grizzlies one night ago, Curry seemed on pace for another clunker after the first two quarters of this one. But by the end of the third quarter, Curry had 16 points and was responsible for 10 straight Warriors points from the 7:22 mark until 2:11 left in the quarter. He also contributed nine assists on the night.
However, directly following Curry’s run of 10 straight points the Timberwolves put together a 14-1 run to end the third quarter, outscoring the Warriors 30-18 for the quarter, only the fifth time the young Timberwolves have won a third quarter outright this season.
It was a 5-0 run for the Warriors to start the fourth that reopened the belief the Warriors were going to be able to overcome another second-half deficit. Seven minutes later, the Warriors had outscored the Timberwolves 25-4 and assumed a commanding 103-92 lead they wouldn’t even come close to giving back.
Thompson finally broke his streak of consecutive games without a made three-pointer, going 4-12 from beyond the arc. Kevin Durant was the other major contributor on offense towards the end, adding seven points in the fourth and finishing with 28.
The league’s 25th-ranked bench contributed a few more points than usual, putting up a combined 18 for the game, led by Shaun Livingston’s nine. However, a large reason for the Warriors’ early fourth quarter comeback came as a result of David West offering effective minutes on the defensive end and efficient minutes on offense. His +13 rating for the game was tied for the team lead with Shaun Livingston and Klay Thompson.
Tuesday night the Warriors will wrap up five road games in seven nights in New Orleans. The lowly Pelicans have lost seven of their last eight contests, including five in a row.