Thanks to the four of five 3-pointers from Mike Conley Jr. and an omnipresent Rudy Gobert, the Wolves have the best start (19-10). It takes three award-winning shots from Klay Thompson to start the Warriors. Jordan Poole adds ten points off the bench to put the two teams back to back (29-29).
Minnesota resumes its long-distance festival, starting the 2nd quarter with a 5 of 7 from 3-pointers, thanks to the skill of Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Naz Reid, to take a 12-point lead (48-36) . Dominated in the rebound and in the commitment, the Warriors finally raise their voices thanks to Draymond Green. He made his presence felt under the circle, and launched a 19-5, finished with five straight points from Stephen Curry, to put Golden State in front at the break (55-53).
The two teams start the third quarter with a 2 of 12 on shots and seven lost balls! Six straight points from Anthony Edwards and an award-winning shot from Stephen Curry put an end to this parody of basketball (61-61). The Warriors, however, remain in the hard and Minnesota benefits. They pass them a 10-2 thanks in particular to Naz Reid. It takes a 3-pointer from Jordan Poole to limit the breakage (77-73).
The Warriors lose three balls in their first four possessions of the last quarter, and Taurean Prince puts Wolves at +9 (84-75). The Draymond Green – Jordan Poole – Gary Payton II trio takes matters into their own hands with a 12-4 to revive Golden State (91-89). The Warriors push but the two teams remain silent for two minutes, before Klay Thompson hits the mark from distance to put the Dubs in front with three minutes to play (92-91).
Towns and Poole go shot for shot from long range and the Warriors have the ball in hand at +1 with 27 seconds left. The Wolves are not at fault and Kyle Anderson intercepts a pass from Draymond Green which leads to a 3-pointer from Towns (98-96)! On the following action, Poole sends the ball into touch, and the Wolves validate a victory as unexpected as it is important.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The comeback game. Both teams benefited from two choice returns tonight. Wolves recorded the return of Anthony Edwards, who had missed the previous three games with a sprained ankle. Chris Finch could therefore count on a full squad for the first time since November and for the first time since the arrival of Mike Conley Jr. The Warriors saw the returning Gary Payton II make his debut, after having been on the flank since the trade deadline. If Edwards seemed rusty and out of rhythm, Payton brought him the defensive aggression and opportunism in attack that we know him.
– Rudy Gobert seals access to the circle. Active and aggressive from the first minutes of the game, the pivot of Wolves played his role as a scarecrow wonderfully. Disciplined in the face of the Warriors’ relentless movement, Gobert forced his opponents to change their shots. The Golden State players finished the game 14/32 in the key, not counting the shots they didn’t take. Gobert’s long segments also helped Wolves provoke 16 stray balls from Golden State, that resulted in 24 Minnesota points.
– A last minute that could have strong consequences. The Warriors led by two points and had the ball with 54 seconds left. He just needed to eat the clock and go find a fault, and minimize the mistakes. They did the exact opposite. Poole took a step back from ten yards to kill the match. In the process, the Wolves who had returned to -1, did not foul and Kyle Anderson finally touched and intercepted a pass from Draymond Green. With a defense not in place, it was Towns who took the opportunity to put a 3-pointer that conditioned a Chase Center who could not believe his eyes. With this victory, the Wolves resume the tiebreaker in the event of a tie with the Warriors at the end of the season, and approach them in the standings. The Warriors can blame themselves!
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Naz Reid – Kyle Anderson. The two substitutes were decisive throughout the game. Reid finished with 23 points, while Anderson was ubiquitous and decisive with 12 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 steals!
✅ Rudy Gobert. The Frenchman finished in double double (10 points and 18 rebounds), while controlling the racket.
✅ ⛔ Karl Anthony Towns. Next to the plate for three quarter time (8 points at 3/12 on shots), Towns scored two decisive award-winning shots in the last two minutes to offer the game to Wolves.
✅ ⛔ Jordan Poole. The sixth man was elusive for Wolves. He scored 17 of his 27 points after the break but ate the sheet in the final minute by taking a step back from ten yards with the Warriors +2 with 35 seconds left. He also lost a ball with ten seconds left.
✅ ⛔ Stephen Curry – Draymond Green. The two players were up and down throughout the evening. Curry scored just 2 of his 20 points last quarter. He also had 9 assists and 6 rebounds. Green (12 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) was instrumental in raising his voice to bring his team back, but his fifth lost ball gave Towns the winning shot.
⛔ Anthony Edwards. For his return to the game, Edwards was sorely lacking in rhythm. He finished the match at 5/14 on shots.
⛔ Klay Thompson. Hampered by the size of Wolves, Thompson finished 5/17 on shots.
THE FOLLOWING
Golden State (39-37) : reception of the Pelicans on Tuesday.
Minnesota (38-37) : traveling to Sacramento on Monday.
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