What we learned as Steph Curry’s scorching 39 in return wasted in Warriors’ loss

What we learned as Steph Curry’s scorching 39 in return wasted in Warriors’ loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

SAN FRANCISCO – For a full three quarters Friday night, the Warriors gave themselves a chance to exploit a Minnesota Timberwolves squad that took the floor at Chase Center without star guard Anthony Edwards.

That quest expired in the fourth quarter, though, and the Warriors walked out of Chase Center with a 127-120 loss that vanquished their good vibes and returned them to a zone they would prefer to avoid. They’re back at .500, with a 13-13 record.

The loss spoiled a spectacular return by Stephen Curry, who poured in a game-high 39 points – 14 of which came in the fourth quarter. Quinten Post finished with 16 points, Jimmy Butler III had 15, Pat Spencer 12 and Moses Moody 11.

The teams stayed within six points of each other until Minnesota rallied late, taking a double-digit lead and holding on.

Here are three observations from a second consecutive game in which Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, though healthy, never left the bench:

The Return of Steph

After missing five games over two weeks with what he described as a left quad contusion and muscle strain, Curry’s return was the subject of considerable curiosity. It was natural to wonder how good he would be.

Quite good, in fact.

Curry put Golden State on the scoreboard with a floater 44 seconds after tipoff, and followed up with back-to-back triples to score eight of the Warriors’ first 12 points.

He tested his agility several times, most notably with a dribbling exhibition during a shuttle drill that led to a circus layup that somehow found its way through the elongated arms of 6-foot-9 Jaden McDaniels.

Curry’s 39 points come on 14-of-28 shooting from the field, including 6-of-15 from deep. He added five assists and five rebounds over 32 minutes.

The franchise player seems to be OK, much to the delight of the Warriors.

Fourth quarter non-Steph minutes were painful and costly

The Warriors opened the fourth quarter with a 91-88 lead and Curry in his usual spot, seated on the bench for the first few minutes.

After a Moses Moody bucket gave the Warriors a 96-91 lead with 10:34 left, the Timberwolves seized the moment, going on a 17-0 run, taking a 12-point lead (108-96) with 5:50 remaining.

With Curry observing, Minnesota outscored Golden State 14-5 to take a lead and generate enough momentum that never quite went away. The Warriors rallied behind Curry – who scored 14 points in the quarter – and even took a 115-114 lead on a Curry triple with 2:09 remaining. A Moody layup off a turnover pushed the margin to three with 1:58 to go.

The Warriors scored only three points down the stretch, while the Timberwolves piled up 13 over the final 1:48, with Donte DiVincenzo dropping in a pair of devastating 3-pointers.

The Warriors were outscored by 10 in the quarter but by one (25-24) after Curry reentered.

Size matters . . . kind of

The Warriors’ lack of size – they are the shortest team in the league – sometimes is a defensive liability, and such was the case on this night.

With Edwards sidelined with right foot soreness, the Timberwolves turned their offense over to the big boys up front: Starters Rudy Gobert (7-foot-1), Julius Randle (6-foot-9) and McDaniels, along with 6-foot-9 Sixth Man Naz Reid. For context, 6-foot-5 Moody spent most of his 23 minutes at power forward.

That foursome represented Minnesota’s top four scorers, as they combined for 86 points and were responsible for the Timberwolves’ whopping 66-44 advantage in points in the paint. Randle finished with 27 points, Gobert with 24, Reid with 18 and McDaniels with 17.

It wasn’t that the Warriors lacked effort. Oh, they tried, as indicated by the tenacity on display to come away finished only minus-2 (44-42) in rebounding.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast