Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, left, drives the ball up court around Draymond Green (23) during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland — On Wednesday night at Oracle Arena, the Golden State Warriors were without the services of Kevin Durant. Durant suffered a left thigh contusion Monday night on the first play of the game against the Miami Heat. He probably was able to play, but Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr decided to give him the night off and give his deep and talented bench more playing time. The team and the bench rose to the occasion as they were able to take control of the game in the third quarter and won 125-101. The Warriors are now 9-3 for the year. They’ve won five in a row and eight of the last nine.

The first two quarters were very close. The Warriors ended the half with a one-point lead (51-50). The Warriors seemed to be out of sync as they scored just 22 points in the first 12 minutes. Minnesota could not solve the Warrior defense either. They scored 22 in the quarter. The Warriors made several turnovers and seemed to be throwing the ball to the wrong team at times. The second quarter was more of the same. The Warriors committed 13 turnovers in the first half and Minnesota converted them into points. However, the Warriors were able to stay with the Wolves and the second unit (David West, Shaun Livingston, Omri Casspi) played well. Steph Curry started to get it going, and he finished the half with 14 points. Andre Iguodala, starting at forward in place of Durant, knocked down five. Draymond Green had six and Klay Thompson had eight. Taj Gibson led the Wolves with 10.

The Warriors broke it open in the third quarter. They scored 44 points and held Minnesota to 26. They stopped making turnovers and ran the court, found the open man, made three-point shots and shut down the Timberwolves offense. Behind the superb play of JaVale McGee, Iguodala, Thompson, and Curry, the Warriors sent a message that they can play even with Durant on the sideline. They led by 19 at the end of three 95-76 and won 125-101.

Game notes and stats — The Warriors had six players in double figures. Thompson led the Warriors with 28 points. He made six three-point shots. Curry finished with 22 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds. Iguodala finished with 11, West had 10, Casspi knocked down 13, and Nick Young added 12. McGee had three big plays in the third period to help spark Dubs in the third period. Patrick McCaw, Green, and Livingston all made contributions to help the Warriors win their fifth straight game. The Warriors moved the ball well in the second half and finished the night with 37 assists. Steve Kerr was “really pleased with the defense.” All five Timberwolves’ starters were in double figures, but they did not get much help from their bench. They dropped to 7-4 for the season.

The Warriors meet the young Philadelphia 76ers Saturday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 5:30 pm. It will be an opportunity for the fans to see the Sixers’ young stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.