Warriors rain down treys in rout of Wolves

[January 26, 2018]  The Golden State Warriors bombed in 21 3-pointers Thursday night, one shy of their franchise record, en route to a 126-113 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Oakland, Calif.

Kevin Durant hit 6 of 9 3-point attempts to account for a majority of his 28 points, leading the Warriors to their 19th victory in the past 22 meetings with the Timberwolves.

The game was played shortly after Durant learned he had been drafted onto LeBron James' team for the All-Star Game in Los Angeles next month. The opposing All-Star captain, Warriors star Stephen Curry, selected teammates Thompson and Draymond Green, as well as Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns and Jimmy Butler, onto his 12-man team.

Butler missed the Thursday game, his fourth consecutive absence, due to a sore right knee.

Meeting as division leaders for just the second time in the 29-year history of the Timberwolves organization, the Warriors made 21 of their 37 3-point attempts, outscoring the visitors 63-18 from beyond the arc.

Towns was the game's high scorer with 31 points for the Timberwolves, who shot just 6-for-20 on 3-point tries.

Thompson and Curry scored 25 points apiece. The Warriors improved to 27-2 the last two seasons when Durant, Thompson and Curry have tallied 20 or more apiece in the same game.

Curry's first basket of the game -- a 3-pointer -- allowed him to pass the 14,000-point milestone, just the fifth player in Warriors history to reach the mark.

Durant, who finished the game with a bruised right elbow, completed a triple-double with 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

 

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) shoots the basketball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Timberwolves 126-113. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Andre Iguodala added 10 points for the Warriors, who won for the sixth time in their past seven games.

Golden State hosts the Boston Celtics on Saturday night to complete a three-game homestand.

Towns had a team-high 11 rebounds for Minnesota. Taj Gibson also recorded a double-double for the Timberwolves with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Minnesota placed six players in double figures, including Jamal Crawford (21 points), Jeff Teague (17), Nemanja Bjelica (11) and Andrew Wiggins (10).

The Timberwolves, who lost 123-114 at Portland on Wednesday night, fell to 3-4 on the second night of back-to-backs.

The Warriors never trailed, using a 38-point first quarter to build as much as a 16-point advantage in the first half.

Golden State made 10 3-pointers in the first half, with Durant (3-for-4), Curry (3-for-5) and Thompson (2-for-2) combining for eight of them.

--Field Level Media

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