Warriors

UPDATE: Steph Curry has passed Dwyane Wade (5,701) to move to 46th on the all-time assists list. Golden State Warriors.

After missing the last three games, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is being listed as questionable for Sunday night's game vs. the Golden State ...

The Warriors had a golden opportunity to beat the Timberwolves on Sunday, but two late turnovers cost them the game.

Cold-shooting and a handful of late turnovers cost the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night as they fell 99-96 to Minnesota at Chase Center.

But the Warriors were done in by familiar nemesis Naz Reid, who had 23 points off the bench, including 3-of-5 on 3-pointers. He said he knew the Warriors would try to find Curry or Thompson, so, “I was just really anticipating Dray making the pass. Payton played 15 ½ minutes, scored nine points, and dramatically blocked an inside shot by the 7-0 Towns. Poole led the Warriors with 27 points off the bench, but that finish wasn’t exactly what he promised after the previous game, when he called himself Playoff Poole. We didn’t make the defense move an extra rotation, two extra rotations. Despite his long absence, Payton showed little rust, and Kerr showed him much trust. “Didn’t move the ball. They got size at every position, and if you don’t move them around, it’s going to be tough, and we didn’t move them around. That was followed by turnovers from [Jordan Poole](https://www.sfchronicle.com/jordan-poole/)3-pointer, off a brilliant [Klay Thompson](https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/warriors/klay-thompson/)drive-and-kick. In the gritty and grindy game, played at playoff intensity, the Warriors took a 96-94 lead with 1:28 left on a [Golden State Warriors](https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/warriors/)were hoping the switch had been flipped, that they had regained their championship mojo as the playoffs approach, after a season of struggling.

While the motion offense is their bread and butter, having one of the best pick-and-roll ballhandlers in the league in Steph Curry allows them to have the ...

All the Warriors had to do in this situation was to hold onto the ball, dribble it out, and burn as much clock as possible. Not to sound like a broken record, but the Warriors have lost several games due to turning the ball over too darn much. These are mistakes a team can’t afford with the playoffs looming and playoff positioning playing a crucial role. That goes for turnover percentage, as well — their 15.7 TOV% is worse than any other team in the league save for the Rockets’ 16.5 TOV%. The defense must then respond in one of two ways: either they give up the easy switch and therefore, the mismatch; or they scheme up a coverage quirk to prevent the potential mismatch. All things considered, Towns does a good job on Curry — but I felt like Curry could’ve done more to break Towns down. That’s a subtle example, but in many ways it spoke the loudest. But for some reason — bad decision making, bad process, or settling due to other factors (e.g., fatigue) — the Warriors just settled too much for my liking. The Warriors run two ballscreens (“Dive Roll”) to get Karl-Anthony Towns switched onto Curry. Such windows gave the Warriors chances to pick apart the small cracks and bust them wide open. But instead of Curry attacking Towns in isolation, he passes to Jordan Poole, who doesn’t generate anything against Taurean Prince. The Warriors have always done a great job mixing up their offense and giving opponents different looks.

Chris Haynes reports the former Blazer will play today against the Timberwolves.

Golden State then claimed that the Blazers had not fully disclosed the extent of Payton’s ailment and treatment, questioning whether the guard had needed [an anti-inflammatory drug](https://www.blazersedge.com/2023/2/11/23596076/gary-payton-ii-toradol-golden-state-warriors-portland-trail-blazers-trade-news-injury), Toradol, in order to play, and whether he took it orally or had it injected. But Haynes also reported yesterday the Warriors will not be pursuing further compensation from the Blazers for the trade involving Payton. Recovery from abdominal surgery kept him out for the majority of the year. [NBA Trade Deadline](http://www.sbnation.com/nba-trade-rumors). He returned in sporadic stretches for the Blazers, who signed the defensive-minded veteran to a free agent contract in the offseason of 2022. [Golden State Warriors](https://www.goldenstateofmind.com) guard Gary Payton II will make his season debut for the team today against the [Minnesota Timberwolves](https://www.canishoopus.com), [according to NBA insider Chris Haynes](https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1639819815119642624).

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch has plenty of confidence in his new-look team's ability to defend at every position, all over ...

... Mike Conley hit four of his first five 3s to score all 12 of his points in the first quarter. He played 15 1/2 minutes in his first game since the Warriors reacquired him at the trade deadline from Portland after he helped Golden State to a championship last season as a top defender. The Warriors have won 13 of 15 overall in San Francisco. ... The Warriors tied the season series 2-all. Green fouled Rudy Gobert with 27.7 seconds left to save a likely dunk, and Gobert missed the first of his two free throws. Warriors: Klay Thompson’s five 3-pointers gave him 273, moving him closer to his career high in 3s for a season of 276 set in 2015-16. He scored 23 points off the bench to lead Minnesota, which snapped a 12-game skid on the Warriors’ home floor. ... A replay review overturned Taurean Prince’s common foul to a Flagrant 1 with 30.4 seconds left in the first, and then he picked up his third personal just four seconds later. Jordan Poole gave Golden State the lead on a 3-pointer with 1:28 left, moments after Towns had connected from deep. “Down the stretch we had it right there.” The Kings, coached by former Golden State top assistant Mike Brown, will try to end the longest playoff drought in NBA history Monday night at home against Minnesota. Naz Reid hit a baseline 3-pointer with 6:12 remaining, followed by a layup.

The Golden State Warriors got a much-needed boost Sunday night with the return to the team of Gary Payton II, who had yet to play for the team this season.

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“Tough one to walk off the court with nothing to show for it,” Steph Curry told reporters postgame. “We just didn't execute down the stretch,” Warriors coach ...

Visit ESPN for the game recap of the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Golden State Warriors NBA basketball game on March 26, 2023.

... [Mike Conley](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3195/mike-conley) hit four of his first five 3s to score all 12 of his points in the first quarter. [Klay Thompson](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/6475/klay-thompson)'s five 3-pointers gave him 273, moving him closer to his career high in 3s for a season of 276 set in 2015-16. [Naz Reid](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4396971/naz-reid) hit a baseline 3-pointer with 6:12 remaining, followed by a layup. [Taurean Prince](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/2990962/taurean-prince)'s common foul to a Flagrant 1 with 30.4 seconds left in the first, and then he picked up his third personal just four seconds later. The Warriors have won 13 of 15 overall in San Francisco. ... The Warriors tied the season series 2-all. He played 15 1/2 minutes in his first game since the Warriors reacquired him at the trade deadline from Portland after he helped Golden State to a championship last season as a top defender. [Minnesota Timberwolves](http://www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/min/minnesota-timberwolves) coach Chris Finch has plenty of confidence in his new-look team’s ability to defend at every position, all over the court, even with the ball in Stephen Curry’s hands and the game on the line. The Kings, coached by former Golden State top assistant Mike Brown, will try to end the longest playoff drought in NBA history Monday night at home against Minnesota. Green went down hard taking a charge from the 7-foot-1 Gobert earlier in the quarter. “It was a nice welcome home.” Poole, who had a game-high 27 points, then secured a rebound on the other end.

Payton played in his first game for the Warriors since Game 6 of the Finals last June.

[Donte DiVincenzo](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/donte-divincenzo-5yeG2wUB9RTaEEGd/) only played 20. [Jonathan Kuminga](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/jonathan-kuminga-6xXExjD2A4eIrB46/) only played 15. [Anthony Lamb](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/anthony-lamb-B2uSjdPjkmH1V3fk/) only played 18 minutes. [Jaden McDaniels](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/jaden-mcdaniels-LHvrZO9NfNz4FcEt/) was face-guarding Curry. [Jordan Poole](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/jordan-poole-OKSId48WraP8pRNl/) turnover in Utah in the final seconds? Or the defensive mix up in Boston that let [Jaylen Brown](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/jaylen-brown-EAiBkBxmqCrObLg7/) tie it up in the final seconds? Three seconds later, Anderson was spoon-feeding [Karl-Anthony Towns](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/karl-anthony-towns-hLzEwRUGfKRoGAbX/) for the game-winning 3. [Mike Conley](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/mike-conley-ATGxUh1i1HZNS4FM/) attempted to do near the beginning of the possession. [Steph Curry](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/stephen-curry-toS7DgUD3IIt7uds/) crossed half court. The [Warriors](https://theathletic.com/nba/team/warriors/) were up two. [Moses Moody](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/moses-moody-DWiWYSvhS0V9PHzX/), who has been solid in spot minutes recently, was back out of the picture. It was his first game for the Warriors since Game 6 of the Finals last June.

Before the game, the team announced that they had recalled Patrick Baldwin Jr. from the Santa Cruz Warriors (their G League affiliate). Via Warriors PR: "The ...

Stephen Curry has hit an epic no-look three-pointer in the Golden State Warriors' Sunday night matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Despite the fact that he was falling over the baseline and hadn’t hit a three all night, Curry knew it was money from the moment it left his hand. With the ball in Looney’s hands, Curry continued to move towards the corner, where Looney passed the ball back to him before setting a screen which gave his sharpshooting teammate just enough time to get off a shot. It was Curry’s first three for the night, and took him to ten points.

Karl-Anthony Towns hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 11 seconds to play after Kyle Anderson stole a pass by Draymond Green, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held ...

... Mike Conley hit four of his first five 3s to score all 12 of his points in the first quarter. He played 15 1/2 minutes in his first game since the Warriors reacquired him at the trade deadline from Portland after he helped Golden State to a championship last season as a top defender. The Warriors have won 13 of 15 overall in San Francisco. ... The Warriors tied the season series 2-all. Green fouled Rudy Gobert with 27.7 seconds left to save a likely dunk, and Gobert missed the first of his two free throws. Warriors: Klay Thompson’s five 3-pointers gave him 273, moving him closer to his career high in 3s for a season of 276 set in 2015-16. ... Golden State missed matching its season-best home unbeaten run of 10 in a row at Chase Center from Oct. He scored 23 points off the bench to lead Minnesota, which snapped a 12-game skid on the Warriors’ home floor. ... A replay review overturned Taurean Prince’s common foul to a Flagrant 1 with 30.4 seconds left in the first, and then he picked up his third personal just four seconds later. Jordan Poole gave Golden State the lead on a 3-pointer with 1:28 left, moments after Towns had connected from deep. The Kings, coached by former Golden State top assistant Mike Brown, will try to end the longest playoff drought in NBA history Monday night at home against Minnesota. “Down the stretch we had it right there.”

The Warriors will host the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.

Meyer/Bay Area News Group) (Nhat V. Madeline Kenney is the Bay Area News Group's Golden State Warriors beat reporter for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. Towns became the unlikely hero for the Timberwolves with his 3-point shooting. Stephen Curry pickpocketed Anderson but his transition layup attempt was short. Golden State is only a game ahead of the eighth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans, who come to town on Tuesday. Towns, playing in his second game back after a 51-game hiatus, knocked down two timely 3s late to usher his team to their third straight win and even the regular-season series at 2-2. “We just let one slip away,” Klay Thompson said. She holds a Bachelor in Communication degree, with a major in broadcast journalism and minors in sports management and marketing, and is a friend of Sister Jean, the 103-year-old nun who became famous during the Ramblers’ 2018 run to the Final Four, Madeline previously worked for the Chicago Sun-Times covering everything from sports to crime and politics. They made the plays down the stretch that they needed to make and we didn’t, so simple as that.” The lead would change twice more, though the Warriors couldn’t overcome their late-game mistakes. That means, if necessary, the tiebreaker would be decided by who has the better conference record.

Karl-Anthony Towns hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 11 seconds to play after Kyle Anderson stole a pass by Draymond Green, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held ...

... Mike Conley hit four of his first five 3s to score all 12 of his points in the first quarter. He played 15 1/2 minutes in his first game since the Warriors reacquired him at the trade deadline from Portland after he helped Golden State to a championship last season as a top defender. The Warriors have won 13 of 15 overall in San Francisco. ... The Warriors tied the season series 2-all. Green fouled Rudy Gobert with 27.7 seconds left to save a likely dunk, and Gobert missed the first of his two free throws. Warriors: Klay Thompson's five 3-pointers gave him 273, moving him closer to his career high in 3s for a season of 276 set in 2015-16. He scored 23 points off the bench to lead Minnesota, which snapped a 12-game skid on the Warriors' home floor. ... A replay review overturned Taurean Prince's common foul to a Flagrant 1 with 30.4 seconds left in the first, and then he picked up his third personal just four seconds later. Jordan Poole gave Golden State the lead on a 3-pointer with 1:28 left, moments after Towns had connected from deep. “Down the stretch we had it right there.” The Kings, coached by former Golden State top assistant Mike Brown, will try to end the longest playoff drought in NBA history Monday night at home against Minnesota. Naz Reid hit a baseline 3-pointer with 6:12 remaining, followed by a layup.

A few seconds after Mike Conley's clear foul was ignored, the Wolves got a steal and Towns hit a 3.

They are half a game behind the Warriors for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot and just 1.5 games behind the [Rudy Gobert](/nba/players/2067669/rudy-gobert/) drew a foul and earned two free throws to potentially tie the game. That Conley openly attempted to foul only made the situation more bizarre; this wasn't a typical missed call on a bang-bang play. Once Green got the ball back at the top of the key for a second time, [Kyle Anderson](/nba/players/2135515/kyle-anderson/) ran at him with what appeared to be the intention of fouling, but Green did not want to take the free throws and tried to quickly get rid of the ball. [Draymond Green](/nba/players/1992792/draymond-green/), and still the Wolves could not get a foul. They did so thanks to a clutch 3-pointer in the closing seconds by [Karl-Anthony Towns](/nba/players/2152531/karl-anthony-towns/), who finished with 14 points and five rebounds, but also thanks to a critical error by the referees.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch has plenty of confidence in his new-look team's ...

… Mike Conley hit four of his first five 3s to score all 12 of his points in the first quarter. He played 15 1/2 minutes in his first game since the Warriors reacquired him at the trade deadline from Portland after he helped Golden State to a championship last season as a top defender. Green fouled Rudy Gobert with 27.7 seconds left to save a likely dunk, and Gobert missed the first of his two free throws. He scored 23 points off the bench to lead Minnesota, which snapped a 12-game skid on the Warriors’ home floor. The Kings, coached by former Golden State top assistant Mike Brown, will try to end the longest playoff drought in NBA history Monday night at home against Minnesota. Jordan Poole gave Golden State the lead on a 3-pointer with 1:28 left, moments after Towns had connected from deep.

Even during pregame warmups, Gary Payton II received a loud ovation from the home crowd. The moment the game started, Payton went right to the stationary bike ...

This is right up there with one of the most frustrating losses of the season. The Warriors turned it over twice, and Minnesota took advantage. With 26 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Payton officially was back on the court in a Warriors jersey. The Warriors were down by two points. Two turnovers in the final minute of regulation was the difference. The Warriors failed there. Early in the fourth quarter, Payton blocked Towns, as seen above. Jordan Poole led the Warriors in points for the second straight game off the bench, ending with 27. The first look of Payton back in a Warriors jersey was exactly what Steve Kerr warned everybody about. He then played seven-plus minutes in the second before sitting the entire third. He scored nine points, shooting 3-of-4 from the field and made one of his two 3-point attempts, along with draining both of his free throws. But once again, the Warriors were downed by their own sloppiness Sunday night at Chase Center in a 99-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

It came in the Bay Area, where the Wolves had lost 12 straight games dating to 2016. San Francisco, Oakland. Chase Center, Oracle Arena. The venue mattered not.

All four suffered to varying degrees because of it and Towns is the only one of the four who remains with the team. That has to happen in the playoffs. The Wolves have done a disservice to several of their promising young players over the years, including That prompts the Wolves to instead go for a steal, and Anderson read Draymond Green perfectly to intercept his pass and head the other way, where he fed KAT for the go-ahead 3. But the Wolves did bother him and did not allow him to shoot a single free throw in the game, a sign that the bigger defenders were keeping their feet against the craftiest player in the game. He finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, five steals and a blocked shot, the latest in a long line of high-quality performances for a team that desperately needs his composure and decision-making. “We weren’t able to get to the matchups we wanted because sometimes we had guys we couldn’t always put on the ball,” Finch said of the team’s defensive struggles early in the season. In doing so, they slayed a dragon that has burnt them to a crisp over and over again at Chase and Oracle over the last six years. In the jubilant visiting locker room after a stunning 99-96 victory over the Warriors on Sunday, the Timberwolves took on the look of a team that has finally found a way to make this crazy plan a problem for the rest of the league. The Wolves simply have to do that against smaller teams to survive. For a couple of minutes in the fourth quarter, Finch went with a preposterously big lineup of Towns, Reid, It came in the Bay Area, where the Wolves had lost 12 straight games dating to 2016.