The Minnesota Timberwolves will aim to extend their winning streak to six games on Sunday night when they visit the Golden State Warriors for the first of two consecutive contests in San Francisco.
The Timberwolves also will play the Warriors on Tuesday night before concluding their five-game trip with stops in Phoenix (Wednesday) and New Orleans (Saturday).
Minnesota began its trek with a 117-110 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.
Karl-Anthony Towns collected 29 points and 12 rebounds and Anthony Edwards added 28 to pace the Timberwolves. The two combined to make 20 shots from the floor and 12 of 15 attempts from the free-throw line.
“(Towns) had one of those nights, definitely. He was great in the third. We were able to get him in his sweet spot. He had his feet set, and we were able to get him a lot of really good looks,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “Played with force. … It was a great performance by him.”
While Finch was quick to present a verbal bouquet toward Towns, he also gave his team a word of warning after the Timberwolves saw their 16-point lead trimmed to six in just under a two-minute stretch during the fourth quarter.
“We have to do a better job of salting these games away when you’re up 16 with four or five minutes to play,” Finch said. “We didn’t get back in transition; we fouled shooters, and you can’t do that, you can’t do it. If that game goes two minutes longer, we might not win.”
Although the Timberwolves are riding a five-game winning streak, the Warriors won five in a row earlier this season. They have since lost three of their past four games.
Stephen Curry scored 30 points in Golden State’s 118-110 setback to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. He made four 3-pointers, marking the 10th time in as many games that he has reached that total.
Former Timberwolves small forward Andrew Wiggins added 13 points, five rebounds and three assists for Golden State.
“I wasn’t drawing up plays for him — it’s not about that,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Wiggins, the top overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. “It’s just about his energy, his aggressiveness. He’s been better the last couple games. He’s getting there.”
Wiggins, who is averaging 11 points per game, still is struggling from 3-point range, however. He went 1-for-4 from beyond the arc on Saturday and is 4-for-24 on the season — a 16.7 percent clip. For his career, he is shooting 35.2 percent from long distance.
“The shots haven’t been going, but his on-ball defense has been really good,” Kerr said. “In general, that’s the message when someone is struggling. Focus on what you can control, which is on-ball defense, general energy and rebounding. Because that’s where you lose yourself in those things and fall into some points, especially somebody as athletic as Andrew. The next shot feels easier when you’re able to do that.
“He’s trending in the right direction. I’m not worried about him.”
–Field Level Media