Timberwolves Wrap: Warriors serve Wolves humble pie

The Minnesota Timberwolves took on the Warriors in Golden State. That usually means bad things are going to happen for the road team.

Every guy with an older brother has experienced the point where they feel like they can finally beat their elder in a wrestling match and want to test their hypothesis with a duel. It usually comes after the younger brother has gained some muscle mass and feels as though they might finally have what it takes to win.

In almost all cases, the younger brother gets their ass whooped.

That seems oddly similar to what happened on late Wednesday evening as the Timberwolves took their five game winning streak (and noticeably improving play) into the Bay Area and attempted to bring down the league’s elite in their home arena. Even without former MVP and scoring champion Kevin Durant in the lineup, the Warriors had more than enough firepower to easily dispose of the up-and-coming, yet still learning, Wolves.

The game started off very sluggishly for both sides as a plethora of lazy turnovers and missed open shots led to a relatively boring first quarter. The score was tied up at 22 after the first buzzer sounded, with the Wolves being able to force seven turnovers yet fail to cash in by shooting an abysmal 0-for-8 from 3-point range. That’s generally not a recipe for success when playing a great team on the road.

The second quarter plodded along with the same general plot line as the Warriors continued to turn the ball over. The Timberwolves were able to keep the game close through some easy hoops and getting to the free throw line. There were some flashes of brilliance from Golden State, with a couple of vintage Steph Curry transition threes and whirlwind buckets for the home squad, but for the most part the Wolves defense was able to keep the Dubs in check from going on any of their vaunted runs.

The halftime score was 51 to 50 with the Warriors taking a slight lead into the break.

Throughout the entire first half, or just when any team plays Golden State in general, as a fan it feels like you are just waiting for a volcanic eruption to take place where the Warriors decide to make the opposing team miserable to an almost-cruel extent. Well, that happened in the third quarter for the Wolves.

Curry and Klay Thompson got hot, the Warriors’ ball movement was crisp and unselfish, and the Wolves attempted to combat this with playing a lot of isolation basketball and turn the ball over a crippling number of times. That is not a winning formula if you are the Timberwolves and the lead for Golden State ballooned quickly.

The Wolves were outscored 44 to 26 in the third quarter as the Dubs turned up the heat. This lead was maintained throughout the entire final frame as Minnesota was never able to make a run and close the gap.

The fourth quarter was more of the same for the Wolves. Jamal Crawford attempted to take on multiple difficult isolation sets and the turnovers continued to plague the road team’s offensive efficiency, leading to many easy looks on the other end. It turned into garbage time at the end, with Tyus Jones, Aaron Brooks, and Marcus Georges-Hunt spearheading a haphazard final lineup for Tom Thibodeau as he waved the white flag.

The final was a 125-101 Warriors victory.

Tweets of the Night

Player of the Game

Klay Thompson: 28 points (11-20 FG, 6-12 3pt FG) 5 rebounds, 3 assists, one steal

Both Klay Thompson and Stephy Curry carried the scoring load. Their barrage of 3-point attempts is enough to make any opposing fan close their eyes and pray it doesn’t go in, only to be let down a majority of the time as the ball swishes through the hoop.

Thompson played well in this one. His length on the defensive end and instincts of where to be in transition offense makes him an extraordinarily valuable player. He was easily the best wing on the floor throughout the game, which is saying something after how good Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins have been this season.

Key Takeaways

• Jimmy Butler had a rare off night on the offensive end. This wasn’t one of those “Jimmy’s stat line isn’t good because he’s getting teammates involved” games, he just honestly struggled to find any flow tonight. There were many times where Curry was switched onto Butler, but he couldn’t turn it into any success.
• For the most part, Jamal Crawford looked a little slow tonight. However, there were some bright spots where himself and Gorgui Dieng looked to be on the same page in the two-man game. Something to keep an eye on as we move forward.
• Andrew Wiggins looked to be engaged defensively, especially early on. He ended with four steals on the night and his defensive awareness, for the most part, seems to be trending in the right direction.
• All five starting Wolves ended in double figures in the scoring column. This feels like a somewhat empty stat, however, as the final score ended in Warriors domination and none of the starting five did it particularly efficiently. Wiggins led the way with 17 points on 6-14 shooting.

Notable Box Score Lines

• Karl-Anthony Towns: 16 points (5-11 FG, 5-7 FT), 12 rebounds, 1 assist
• Andrew Wiggins: 17 points (6-14 FG, 4-4 FT), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals
• Jimmy Butler: 11 points (5-12 FG), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
• Jeff Teague: 14 points (4-13 FG, 5-8 FT) 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals

All in all, it was a tough game for the Wolves. That is to be expected though as the Warriors are still easily the premier team in the league and the Timberwolves did not bring their best performance; something that is needed to even have a chance at bringing down the defending champs. It shows the Wolves still have a lot of things to work on, which is what Tom Thibodeau is sure to preach as this road trip, and season, continues.

What’s next?

The Wolves’ now have a couple of days to lick their wounds before heading to Phoenix to take on the lowly Suns on Saturday, November 11. It should be an easily winnable game for the Wolves, as the Suns just traded what was likely their best player in Eric Bledsoe and do not invoke much fear into the hearts of other NBA teams.

Next: Looking ahead to Timberwolves' next 10 games

This Timberwolves team will need to bounce back and not take them for granted, as we have already seen the ugliness that can lead to this season (hello, Pacers and Pistons). Better days are ahead and more wins are to come.