In what is surely a first in NBA history, this game between the Warriors and Wolves saw three players ejected after just 100 seconds of play!
With the score still blank, an altercation between Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels on the rebound turned into the start of a general brawl. As Rudy Gobert rushes to separate the two players while trying to hold Klay Thompson back, Draymond Green jumps on the Frenchman and grabs him by the neck, dragging him backwards for several seconds while everyone tries to stop him! Thompson and McDaniels are ejected, as is Green who receives a flagrant foul 2.
Suddenly deprived of their “Big Three” since Stephen Curry was out, the Warriors found an unexpected messiah in Brandin Podziemski. The rookie scores 9 points, delivers 3 assists, grabs 2 rebounds to give his team an 11-point lead in the first quarter (30-19). While Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid had limited the damage, Kerr then revived Podziemski. The rookie continued his momentum, with the help of Dario Saric (21 points) to put Golden State in front at the break (59-54).
The gap even reached twelve units thanks to the Podziemski – Paul doublet which pushed the tempo so as not to let the Minnesota defense settle in (75-63). The trio Towns – Gobert – Conley then sounded the alarm for the Wolves at the end of the third quarter, before a 10-2 to start the last period gave them the advantage again (86-85).
Rudy Gobert essential in defense
Despite all the efforts of Pdoziemski and Saric, the Wolves’ claws slowly but surely closed on the Warriors. A 3-pointer from Mike Conley with nine seconds remaining sealed their victory, giving them sole lead in Group C.
At the end of a rough match full of awkwardness, with a total of 40 lost balls and two teams with less than 45% shooting success, it was the stars of Minnesota who made the difference in the “money time “. Well recovered from Green’s ugly gesture, Rudy Gobert (9 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks) was essential in defense, while Karl-Anthony Towns (33 points, 11 rebounds) and Anthony Edwards (20 points) carried the blow.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– When Draymond Green transforms the Chase Center into an octagon. With the Warriors’ loss to Minnesota on Sunday, there was revenge in the air tonight. In these cases, it is often Draymond Green who sets the tone for Golden State. Tonight he did it in the worst possible way. While Rudy Gobert came to separate Klay Thompson from Jaden McDanields, Green took the Wolves pivot by the neck. A real choke attempt that he did not release while Towns, Edwards, Kerr and three Golden State assistants tried to stop him and Gobert did not get into his game. The referees made the only decision possible , by expelling Draymond Green. Given his overall liabilities, but also towards Rudy Gobert for years, it would be logical for him to be suspended several games by the NBA. To be continued.
– The revelation Brandin Podziemski. As soon as he entered the game after the altercation at the start of the match, the Warriors rookie left his mark on the match. It was he who gave his team energy in the first quarter, it was he who allowed them to pull away at the start of the third quarter, and it was he who gave them hope with a 2+1 in money time. Like his buzzer beater at the end of the third quarter, everything worked out for him. He became the first Warrior this season, excluding Stephen Curry, to pass the 20-point mark, finishing with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal. The Warriors were +11 when he was on the floor, and -14 without him. Steve Kerr and his players had already showered him with praise since the start of training camp, tonight’s match undoubtedly offered him a place in the Warriors rotation.
– The Wolves provide the essentials. Inside for 90% of the match, Minnesota found a way to win thanks to their defense and the Karl-Anthony Towns – Anthony Edwards duo. The Wolves limited Golden State to 23 points in the last fifteen minutes of the match, notably with an intractable Rudy Gobert in the paint. On the other side, Towns and Edwards scored 17 of Minnesota’s 28 points in the final quarter. It was a patient, meticulous drive from Edwards that attracted the entire Golden State defense before finding Mike Conley Jr alone in the corner to deliver the blow with 9 seconds to play.
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
