Warriors 113, Timberwolves 103: Horrible First Half Offense Proves Too Much to Overcome

After scoring only 38 first-half points, the Wolves rallied back to take a fourth-quarter lead but were unable to close out the game

Well, it can’t get any worse. Two days after getting destroyed by Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks, the Minnesota Timberwolves were back in action against the Golden State Warriors.

Both teams are coming off terrible performances as the Wolves 26-point loss on Thursday was outdone by the Warriors who lost by 51 points to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Right before the game was ready to begin, the officials noticed an issue with the rim, causing the game to be delayed. After more than 20 minutes, and multiple different members of the equipment staff taking a look, the rim was finally repaired allowing the game to start.

After a putrid offensive performance on Thursday, Minnesota continued to have issues scoring the ball as they would miss seven of their first eight shots to start the game, allowing the Warriors to jump out to an early seven-point lead.

Minnesota would finish the first quarter with only 15 points, which is three fewer points that they had in the disaster of a second quarter against the Knicks on Thursday. Minnesota would shoot 6-22 from the field and 1-8 from beyond the arc while adding in four turnovers along the way. The Wolves would trail by 11 points heading into the second quarter.

The offense would only get worse in the second quarter as the Timberwolves would not score a single point until the 5:38 mark of the quarter, totaling a more than seven-and-a-half minute stretch without any scoring going back to the end of the first quarter.

The Golden State lead would grow as high as 21 points before the Wolves make a couple 3-pointers down the stretch of the quarter to lower the lead to 50-37 heading into halftime.

Anthony Edwards struggled mightily in the first half, scoring only three points on 1-9 shooting. He was missing from everywhere on the court inclding shots from deep, mid range and at the rim. Stephen Curry led the way for the Warriors with 11 points including three makes from beyond the arc.

Minnesota’s offense would wake up to start the second half, making 11 of their first 13 shots from the field to improbably take a one point lead. The sequence was capped off by a Naz Reid block and 3-pointer in transition.

The Warriors would recover over the final four minutes of the quarter to take a 79-75 lead heading into the final frame of play.

The entire fourth quarter would remain close as neither team would take a lead larger than four points. Ant would begin to make his mark on the game after a tough first half, making back-to-back shots from deep to tie the game.

In what has become a familiar story for this year’s Wolves, they would be unable to play well late in the game, allowing allowing a 12-2 Golden State run. That run included a stretch where the Warriors scored on ten straight possessions late in the game including a barrage of 3-pointers from Curry, gave the Warriors a 104-94, a deficit that would prove the be enough.

The Wolves would go on to lose 113-103 for their second loss in a row. Edwards recovered with a better second half, finishing with 19 points on 6-20 shooting. Donte DiVincenzo also had 19 points including three makes from beyond the arc. Curry led all scorers with 31 points including seven 3-pointers.

This story will be updated throughout the night after coach and player media availabilities.

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Up Next

The Timberwolves head out for a holiday road trip starting with the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night. That game will tip off at 6:30 PM CT, with fans being able to watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network North.

After that, the Wolves play the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas, their first game on the holiday in seven years. The game starts at 1:30 PM CT, airing on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN+.