Warriors overcome Timberwolves to regain no. 1 spot in West

Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, left, fends off Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green in the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 19, 2019, in Minneapolis. The Warriors won 117-107. Towns led the Timberwolves with 26 points and 21 rebounds. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

MINNEAPOLIS — Golden State’s most recent homestand included a 33-point loss to Boston and a startling defeat to last-place Phoenix, reminding the Warriors of the work that’s ahead of them to win a fourth NBA championship in five years.

The Warriors passed their first challenge with a 3-1 record on this tough road trip, finishing in Minnesota with a clinic in half-court passing and shooting.

Stephen Curry scored 22 of his 36 points in the third quarter and Klay Thompson pitched in with 28 points, giving the Warriors more than enough production to beat the fading Timberwolves 117-107 on Tuesday and regain first place in the Western Conference.

“If we can do that the rest of the way to the playoffs, we will definitely solidify this No. 1 seed,” Thompson said.

The Warriors had 39 assists on 44 made field goals and finished 19 for 42 from 3-point range. They’ve won 20 of their last 25 games away from home.

“Some possessions, it was a lot of overpassing, to be honest,” Curry said, “but against teams that try to put pressure on you and take away that first option, that’s the best way for us to really attack.”

Jonas Jerebko added 18 points, Kevin Durant scored 17 points and Draymond Green had 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Warriors (48-22), who bounced back with little rest from a loss at San Antonio on Monday and moved a half-game ahead of idle Denver (47-22) for the top seed. The Warriors beat Houston and Oklahoma City, currently in the third and sixth spots in the stacked conference race, to start the trip. Falling at home to Phoenix clearly captured their attention.

“I think that loss is probably the biggest lesson for us throughout the season,” Durant said.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 21 rebounds, Andrew Wiggins totaled 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists and Josh Okogie had 19 points for the Timberwolves, who played again without the injured Jeff Teague, Derrick Rose, Robert Covington and Luol Deng, and lost their fourth straight game.

“When you’re going against the world champions, you have to really be on your game offensively and defensively,” Wolves coach Ryan Saunders said, “then just your collective resolve as a group to withstand those runs.”

The Warriors, finishing their ninth set of games on consecutive nights out of 12 back-to-backs on their schedule this season, started rather sleepily and watched the Wolves build a 22-9 lead.

The beauty of the Warriors — or irritation, depending on the rooting interest — is how quickly they can recover. They used a 21-3 run over the next 5:51 to take control, with their long-range shooting simply too much for this undermanned Wolves team that, even at full strength, is vulnerable defensively.

Jerebko, whose playing time has dwindled since DeMarcus Cousins returned, had 14 points in the second quarter alone, including a couple of deep 3-pointers from the wing to help the Warriors cruise into halftime with a 59-47 lead.

The Wolves managed to work their way back to tie the game at 61 on Okogie’s 3-pointer, but the Warriors needed only 3:18 for a 14-1 spurt that put them right back in charge. Curry had eight of those points.

“We were scoring two. They were scoring threes,” Towns said. “That put them up a little bit. We had some breakdowns, but we played hard.”

THE FINISH

The Timberwolves haven’t been above the .500 mark since they were 13-12, entering a four-game trip on Dec. 8 and dropped all four of those. Of their final 15 games in this tumultuous season, 12 of those opponents currently above the cut for the playoffs. The Warriors? They’ll only face a top-eight team in either conference four more times, with 12 games to go.

SPLISH SPLASH

Curry went 8 for 14 from 3-point range, pushing him past the 300 mark for the third time in four seasons. Joining Houston’s James Harden, Curry gave the NBA two players with 300-plus 3-pointers made for the first time in the same season. Curry, who set the record of 402 three years ago, has five of the top seven single-season totals in league history.

“He loves to put on a show, both with his skill and with his personality,” coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s a pleasure to watch that.”

TIP-INS

Warriors: Andrew Bogut started for DeMarcus Cousins (sore right ankle) for the second straight game and had two points and six rebounds in 13 minutes. Cousins is expected to play in the next game, Kerr said. … With Curry, Bogut, Green and Thompson in the starting lineup at the same time, the Warriors have won 108 of 133 games. … Jerebko reached double-digit points for the first time in 29 games, since Dec. 22 against Dallas (23 points).

Timberwolves: Towns posted his fourth 20-20 game this season. … Rookie Cameron Reynolds was signed for the rest of the season after his second 10-day contract expired. … Taj Gibson hurt his left calf in the second quarter and didn’t return. … The Wolves have lost the season series to the Warriors for 10 straight years.

UP NEXT

Warriors: Host Indiana on Thursday night.

Timberwolves: Play at Charlotte on Thursday night.