A 24-Point Lead Shrank to Five. The Lakers Will Not Give It Back
Curry's 44 in Minneapolis covered up a second half that Golden State cannot afford to repeat against a 4-1 Lakers team.
The Warriors won 119-114 at Minnesota, their second straight win, and moved from 12th to 10th in the West at 2-3. They led by 24 and finished with Curry making free throws to keep the game from slipping away.
The win, and the warning
Golden State scored 64 in the first half and held Minnesota to 48. Then the Timberwolves scored 33 in each of the last two quarters. Kerr used four timeouts in the fourth quarter alone. The lead was 117-112 with six seconds left when Yaxel Lendeborg missed the first of two free throws, and Bones Hyland's bank shot made it a one-possession scare until Curry's last two free throws.
Curry carried what the ball security gave away
Curry went 16 of 16 at the line on his way to 44 points and finished plus-10, the best mark on the team. Lendeborg scored 26 on 11-of-20 shooting but had seven turnovers. A rookie can cough the ball up that often and still win in Minneapolis when Curry scores 44. Against Luka Doncic, who is averaging 36.0 points, that kind of night does not hold up.
Santos changes the rotation math
Gui Santos moved from out to day-to-day with left knee tendinitis and is projected back October 30. That would send Georges Niang, who started in Minnesota and finished plus-5, back to a bench that scored 31 points while the starters scored 88. One more reliable body on the wing matters for a team still without Porzingis, Moody and Butler.
Can they close?
The Lakers arrive at 4-1 with a net rating of 10.2, and Doncic is day-to-day with a back issue. Golden State's net rating sits at minus 2.0. The Warriors have shown they can build a lead. Friday will show whether they can keep one.
When do the Warriors play the Lakers?
October 30 at Chase Center on Prime Video, in an Emirates NBA Cup game. It begins a home run that continues against the Clippers on November 1 and the Suns on November 2.
Will Gui Santos play against the Lakers?
Santos was upgraded from out to day-to-day with left knee tendinitis on October 29, and he is projected to return October 30. His status should become clearer before tipoff.
