Category: NBA

Kings Offense Shines In Win Over Mavericks 129-113; Sac picks up sixth win in a row in Dallas

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Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox (5) runs up the court against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Sun Nov 19, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (8-4) won the final three quarters in their matchup against the Dallas Mavericks (9-5) finishing them off 129-113. Every starter finished in double digits and displayed a great defensive effort in the win against a very tough Dallas squad.

The Kings got their sixth win in a row Sunday night in Dallas taking on the Mavericks . Sacramento was able to contain Luka Doncic who averages 41 points per game, also recording 11.5 rebounds and nearly nine assists. Doncic led the Mavericks in scoring with 25 points.

In the Kings last few outings Domantas Sabonis has come away with 16 rebounds against the Lakers and 14 versus the Spurs so he can hold his own. He also delivers offensively and of course the Kings are now whole with the return of De’Aaron Fox who scored 43 points Friday night against the Spurs. He seems to step up bigger with every game since his return. The Kings showed that they have the talent to beat the Mavericks.

Game recap: The first quarter of this game was a close one with the Mavericks edging out the Kings 36-35. The Kings won the second quarter 35-29 and at the half Sacramento had a 70-65 lead. Every starter for Sacramento was in double digits at halftime with the exception of Harrison Barnes who was on the cusp with nine points.

The Kings were on point and had to carry this into the second half of the game. The Mavericks are in second place in the Western Conference tied with the Nuggets. The Kings could not afford any sort of let-down against Dallas in the second half.

The two teams battled back and forth in the third quarter with the Kings leading by slim margins for most of the quarter. In the final two minutes of the quarter Sacramento began to edge ahead leading after three quarters 107-96. Every King starter had double digits and off the bench Malik Monk had 12 points. They now had to keep up the pressure going into the final quarter of the game.

The Kings continued to extend their lead in the fourth quarter little by little leading 114-99 with 8 1/2 minutes left in the game. Each team had nine turnovers going into the fourth protecting the ball well on both sides.

Sabonis had recorded another double double with 11 rebounds and 28 points. The Kings had to dig deep to retain this lead against one of the best teams in the NBA. The Kings offensive effort continued through to the finish of this game. They won the quarter 22-17 and finished off the Mavericks 129-113. This was a terrific win for the Kings and was their sixth win in a row.

The Kings beat the Mavericks at every turn from shots from the field, to shots from beyond the arc and rebounds. They did have a few more turnovers, with 13, then Dallas but they had a consistent effort throughout the entire game offensively and defensively.

Sacramento did a good job containing Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The high for the Kings was Sabonis with 32 points and 13 rebounds. Fox had 30 points in an outstanding win.

After Sunday’s game, the Kings will head into Louisiana to take on the New Orleans Pelicans Monday night, in search of a seventh straight win. Zion Williamson did not play in their game Saturday being rested and they did not play in today’s game.

The Kings will more than likely see Williamson in Monday’s game. The Pelicans will be rested but the Kings will also be riding high with a lot of confidence after Sunday’s win. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors skid hits six; Golden State hosts Houston at Chase tonight

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Vasilije Micic drives on the Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sat Nov 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Golden State Warriors (6-7) lost a real knuckle cracker against the Oklahoma City (8-4) Thunder Saturday night 130-123 in overtime.

#2 Andrew Wiggins had his season high game with 31 points and was the reason that the Warriors had a great chance to win this game.

#3 With 1.6 seconds left on the clock the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren hit an unlikely 25-foot three point shot to tie the game at 117 and drive this game into overtime.

#4 The Warriors were looking forward to ending their five game losing streak only to have it continued with the overtime loss.

#5 Monday night the Warriors will take on the Houston Rockets at Chase Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM PT.

Golden State Warriors podcasts can be heard with Barbara Mason at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Despite Breakout Game For Wiggins; Warriors Fall to Thunder in Overtime; Golden State falls for sixth straight game

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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren hits a three point shot against the Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) and forward Kevon Looney (in front) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sat Nov 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Golden State Warriors (6-7) lost a real knuckle cracker against the Oklahoma City (8-4) Thunder Saturday night 130-123 in overtime. Andrew Wiggins had his season high game with 31 points and was the reason that the Warriors had a great chance to win this game. With 1.6 seconds left on the clock the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren hit an unlikely 25-foot three point shot to tie the game at 117 and drive this game into overtime.

Warriors fans sure got their moneys worth in Saturday’s Warrior game versus the Thunder. In their last meeting Thursday night Golden State lost to the Thunder 128-101. Back on November 3rd the Warriors did beat Oklahoma City in a close one 141-139. The Warriors were looking forward to ending their five game losing streak only to have it continued with the overtime loss.

Game recap: The Thunder won the first quarter 33-31 in a very tight game. The Warriors turned things around in the second quarter winning that quarter 30-18 and had a 61-51 lead going into halftime. The Warriors had held the Thunder to 29% shooting in the second quarter and were looking solid heading into the locker room.

The Thunder got things under control winning the third quarter 34-26 trailing the Warriors by two points 87-85. A real battle got underway in the fourth quarter. Andrew Wiggins came unglued having a season high game.

In the closing seconds of the final quarter Wiggins hit a three pointer to take a 117-114 lead. When it looked like the Warriors would break their losing streak the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren nailed a three point tying shot with 1.6 seconds on the clock sending this game into overtime.

The overtime was not a good one for Golden State getting outscored 13-6 by the Thunder. Oklahoma City had won back-to-back wins at Chase handing the Warriors their sixth loss in a row 130-123.

The star of the show for the Warriors was Wiggins scoring a season high 31 points for Golden State. He was 12 of 19 from the field and had five 3s. Warrior guard Stephen Curry finished with 25 points and seven rebounds. This was the first time this season that he did not have the high score for the team. The Warriors are still dealing with the suspension of Draymond Green and Gary Payton II is still out with a left foot strain.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had the high score for the Thunder with 40 points which was a huge part of this win for Oklahoma City and Chet Holmgren who pushed this game into overtime had a season high of 36 points.

Monday night the Warriors will take on the Houston Rockets at Chase Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM PT.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings take out Spurs for fifth straight win in a row in San Antonio

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Sacramento Keon Ellis (23) reaches for the basket in first half action at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on Fri Nov 17, 2023 (AP News photo)

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah:

#1 The Sacramento Kings (7-4) beat the San Antonio Spurs (3-9) in a game that was close until the final minutes of the game. 

#2 This was their fifth win in a row in an amazing resilient effort winning 129-120. 

#3 The Kings handed the Spurs their seventh loss in a row. De’Aaron Fox finished with 43 points.

#4 Fox also had eight rebounds, seven assists shooting at 58% from the field. This guy just seems to play better and better with every game.

#5 The Kings  take on the Dallas Mavericks next Sunday with tipoff scheduled for 4:30 PM in Dallas. Jeremiah how do you see this match up?

Join Jeremiah Salmonson for the Kings podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Beat Spurs In a Thriller 129-120; Sac on a five game win streak, face Mavericks in Dallas Sunday

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The Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox (5) tries to get a drive in on the San Antonio Spurs Jeremy Sochan (right) at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on Fri Nov 17, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (7-4) beat the San Antonio Spurs (3-9) in a game that was close until the final minutes of the game. This was their fifth win in a row in an amazing resilient effort winning 129-120. The Kings handed the Spurs their seventh loss in a row. De’Aaron Fox finished with 43 points.

The Sacramento Kings (7-4) took on the San Antonio Spurs (3-9) Friday night at Frost Bank Center . They continue their road trip after beating the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night 125-110 at times leading the Lakers by as much as 20. LeBron James did a great job in the fourth quarter attempting to lead his team to a comeback but fell short. The Kings held on for the win in a great start to this current road trip.

Game recap: The Spurs got a fast start leading 9-0 inside of two minutes forcing Head Coach Mike Brown and the Kings to take an early timeout. The Spurs didn’t back down at all and the Kings were having offensive trouble from the start. Halfway through the first quarter the Spurs were already 4 of 6 from downtown leading 23-7.

With a couple minutes left in the first quarter the Kings chipped away at the Spurs lead and when the clock expired Sacramento trailed by two points 31-29. They had a nice turnaround after trailing by quite a significant margin.

One minute into the second quarter, the Kings had taken their first lead of the game 33-31. Sacramento continued to hang onto the lead in the first half of the quarter. The Spurs refused to go away and mid-way through the quarter had taken back the lead 43-42. The Kings battled back and this game was tied at 62 when the the first half came to an end.

The Kings owned most of the third quarter taking as much as a 16 point lead mid-way through the quarter. The Spurs turned the quarter around trailing by four points with just over three minutes left in the third.

San Antonio continued to threaten cutting the King lead to a single point 88-87. With under two minutes left in the third Malik Monk hit his 5th three of the night. Every time the Kings built a lead, the Spurs erased it and after three quarters the Kings held a 95-94 lead. The Spurs had overcome a 16 point deficit.

The Spurs took the lead to start the fourth quarter 98-95. Seconds later this game was tied at 98 and the Kings Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray were desperately needed to step up in this game.

As the final quarter wore on, this was anybody’s game. In the final minutes Sacramento pulled it all together with some great defense winning a very challenging game 129-120. The Spurs had a great game and very nearly pulled off a win.

The Spurs Zach Collins had the high for the game with 28 points and the remarkable Victor Wembanyama had 27 points and 9 rebounds.

De’Aaron Fox finished the game with 43 points, eight rebounds, seven assists shooting at 58% from the field. This guy just seems to play better and better with every game . There was absolutely no rust to shake off after he missed five games with an ankle injury just coming back three games ago.

The Kings have now won five games in a row and will take on the Dallas Mavericks next Sunday with tipoff scheduled for 4:30 PM. This will be the ultimate challenge for Sacramento and they will need all hands on deck for this one.

OKC Thunder roll over the short-handed Warriors 128-109; Golden State suffers fifth straight loss

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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) takes a jump shot over the Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) in first half action at Chase Center in San Francisco on Thu Nov 16, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (6-7) knew they would have to be at their best to beat the young and talented Oklahoma City (8-4) Thunder squad. Warriors guard Stephen Curry was out of action due to knee soreness, and Draymond Green was suspended for five games.

Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr, inserted Jonathan Kuminga and Dario Saric into the starting lineup. Chris Paul was the leader of the first unit. The last time the two teams met in OKC, the Warriors won 141-139.

The Warriors had to find a way to hold down the Thunder offense. Well, the Warriors had seven players in double figures. All the players contributed on offense. The Warriors came back from a seven-point deficit at halftime to climb within a point of tying the game at 84 in the third quarter.

The fans were on their feet, cheering the team on. OKC broke the game open as they were red hot from behind the three-point arc. The Thunder made 19 threes to roll over the Warriors,128-109.

The Warriors started well in the first period. The Warriors led 15-13 when the Thunder went on a 27-9 run to end the quarter leading 39-24. The Warriors didn’t help their cause, as they committed seven turnovers in the period. The Warriors shot 36% from the floor, while OKC shot 56%.

The Thunder continued to roll over the Warriors for most of the second period. OKC increased the lead to 19, 59-40. Dario Saric, Andrew Wiggins, and Chris Paul sent the Warriors on a 20-8 to end the first half trailing by seven, 67-60. The Warriors went to the locker room feeling that they had turned things around.

As mentioned above, The Warriors did play well in the third quarter. They came within a point of tying the game. The Thunder led 84-83. That would be the closest the Warriors would ever get. The Thunder continued to make three-pointers. OKC’s Isaiah Joe was seven-for-seven from downtown. The Thunder closed out the third quarter, leading 94-85.

OKC poured it on in the fourth quarter. They beat the Warriors 34-24 in the fourth quarter to win the Game 128-109.

Game Notes: The Warriors lost their fifth game in a row, and their record is now 6-7. OKC has won five of their last six and are now 8-4. The teams play again on Saturday at the Chase Center,

The good news for coach Kerr was the play of his reserves. Jonathan Kuninga led the Warriors with 21 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Saric had 12, Andrew Wiggins had 12, Paul had 15, Moses Moody had 12, and Brandin Podzienski had 13 points and eight rebounds.

Kevon Looney was everywhere. Looney scored 13 hard-earned points, and he snagged eleven boards. Thompson played well in most aspects of the game. Thompson moved well without the play, was excellent on defense, set up screens, and assisted on shots.

However, Thompson could not find the basket. He scored five points. He made just one basket from the floor in ten tries. Every time Thompson had the ball in his hands, two OKC Defenders were on him to keep him from taking good shots.

The Thunder had six players in double figures. Isaiah Joe finished the night with 23 points. As mentioned earlier, he made seven threes in seven tries. Shea Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 24. Jalen William had 16, Josh Giddey had 19, Cason Williams had 10, and Chet Holmgren had a double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds.

The schedule has not been kind to the Warriors at this point in the season. The Warriors play OKC Saturday night, the resurgent Houston Rockets, The Phoenix Suns on the road, and the San Antonio Spurs.

The Warriors will have to pull out all the stops to get some wins against these teams. Let’s hope that Thompson and Wiggins return to their past greatness.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Warriors try and put Timberwolves in season battle to rest; Golden State sets up for OKC tonight at Chase Center

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Minnesota Timberwolves Rudy Gobert (back) and the Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson (11) scuffle at the Chase Center in first quarter action on Tue Nov 14, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Jerry F:

#1 Jerry talk about how things got out of hand early and quick in the first quarter on Tuesday night at Chase Center between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors starting with the Timberwolves Jordan McDaniels grabbed the shirt of the Warriors Klay Thompson that just simply started bedlam.

#2 Then there was the Warriors guard Draymond Green who put the Timberwolves Rudy Gobert in a headlock as Gobert was trying to play peacemaker and pull the players apart. Realizing this Green was the one who got tossed out of the game and there was talk that he could face a suspension.

#3 Warriors head coach Steve Kerr now was without Green and Thompson who both were tossed. Green for putting Gobert in a headlock and Thompson for fighting with McDaniels. McDaniels also got tossed as well. Kerr revamped the line up with  rookie Brandin Podziemski as the shooting guard.

#4 The Warriors and Timberwolves had seen each other on Sunday night at Chase Center and got together again on Tuesday night. Do you suppose there was some bad blood leading into the second game on Tuesday that precipitated these fights overlapping from Sunday’s game?

#5 The Warriors play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7 p.m. The Warriors would like to put the memory of they’re in season game with the Timberwolves behind them soon enough.

Join Jerry for the Golden State Warriors podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sacramento Manhandles Lakers – Win Fourth In a Row 125-110; Kings beat LA despite LeBron’s triple double in the Southland

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Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) arms raised and forward Harrison Barnes (40) during a time out as the Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) looks on at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Wed Nov 15, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (6-4) had an amazing first quarter en route to a 125-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers (6-6). They handed the Lakers their first home loss of the season as they outplayed them through the first three quarters. This is the first of a six game road trip for Sacramento and a very positive way to start it.

Game recap: The Kings got a great start in the opening quarter scoring 32 points in nine minutes. With less than two minutes left in the first quarter Sacramento had a 37-19 lead. Both Domantas Sabonis and Kevin Huerter had ten points apiece in the quarter. The Kings made six shots from downtown and were looking to continue to control the pace of this game going into the second quarter with a 38-25 lead.

After leading by as much as 20 points in the opening quarter, the Lakers erased that lead pulling to within eight points in the early minutes of the second quarter. Fast break points favored the Kings so far in this game and at 8:59 Sacramento held a 46-35 lead. With 0.1 left on the clocks the second quarter Fox hit a 27-foot jumper and the Kings took a 72-59 lead into the locker room.

Fox already had a 21 point game with Sabonis coming in with 19 points. So far in this game the Kings were dominating the glass. Sacramento finished the half with ten shots from downtown.

Sacramento finished the third quarter with an amazing 16 shots from downtown with Kevin Huerter responsible for six of them. He was having another solid game as the Kings continued to dictate the pace of this game going into the fourth quarter with a 104-80 lead.

The Kings were leading the Lakers in points from the field, shots from downtown, rebounds and only had ten turnovers through three quarters. The 24 point Sacramento lead was the largest they had in the game so far.

The Lakers got a fast start in the fourth quarter scoring six unanswered points. The Kings called a hasty time-out needing to get their offense back on track. It was a horrible start in the final quarter for Sacramento. They let their 24 point lead dwindle to 16. After missing numerous shots to start the quarter the Kings offense started to heat up again although they were committing too many turnovers with five in the quarter.

Both teams were shooting at 50% and the Sacramento offense began to struggle with five minutes left in the game. The 24 point lead that the Kings took into the fourth quarter had been cut in half with the Lakers trailing by a dozen. Sacramento was able to pull it together enough to win this game. This was the Laker’s first home loss of the season.

LeBron James gave his team an outside chance to win this game in the fourth quarter finishing with 28 points. D’Angelo Russell also had 28 points for Los Angeles. The Lakers did have 23 turnovers which hurt them.

Sabonis had the high for the Kings with 29 points and 16 rebounds. Fox and Huerter had 28 points apiece. Harrison Barnes chipped in double digits with 13.

Game notes: Wednesday night the Kings traveled to Los Angeles taking on the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. The Kings had embarked on a six game road trip that started Wednesday night. The Kings came off a win over the Cavaliers Monday night 132-120 that saw the long-awaited return of Fox.

Fox did not disappoint and finished with 28 points. Sacramento had four starters with 20 plus points in that game and they extended their winning streak to three games. Huerter had a terrific night with 20 points and going 6 of 9 from downtown against Cleveland. Keegan Murray and Sabonis also had an outstanding game last Monday.

The Kings sure started this road trip on a positive note with the win Wednesday night. They will be looking to extend their four game winning streak Friday night taking on the San Antonio Spurs with a scheduled 4:30 PM tipoff.

Warriors Lose Second Game to the Timberwolves 104-101 In a Thriller; Golden State gets swept in in season game

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Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jordan McDaniels (left) grabs some of Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson’s jersey (right) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Tue Nov 14, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Minnesota Timberwolves (8-2) beat the Golden State Warriors (6-6) 104-101 in the second game of their two-game series. Warrior guard Stephen Curry was out for this game with a knee strain and to make matters worse, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were ejected less than two minutes into the game.

The Warriors took on the Timberwolves for a second time in as many nights. After losing the first meeting 116-110 on Sunday the Warriors couldn’t even the score Tuesday night. The Warriors were without Curry who was out with a reported knee strain. The injury isn’t expected to sideline him for very long which is great news. It didn’t fuel the rest of the team in their now fourth straight loss. They couldn’t pick up the slack; they really missed Curry who was out of the line up.

Game recap: This first quarter was a crazy one with three ejections in less than two minutes. The first incident occurred when Thompson and Jaden McDaniels were both ejected after getting into a fight to start this in-season tournament game.

Seconds later Green was ejected for putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock. The Warriors were now down three of their starters, and losing two additional players for this game was not the way Golden State envisioned their start. The rest of the team had a nice start to the game winning the first quarter 30-22 really picking up the slack. They had a terrific opening quarter.

The second quarter was a close one going to the Timberwolves 32-29. Despite losing the quarter the Warrior continued to hang onto the lead 59-54.

A very close third quarter went to Golden State 24-22 and a 83-76 lead going into the fourth quarter. It was crunch time. Minnesota cut the Warriors lead and actually took the lead mid-way through the quarter.

The remainder of the game was either a tie or a one to two point swing. With 51 ticks left on the game clock Minnesota had a one-point lead 99-98. The Timberwolves Mike Conley nailed the coffin shut when he hit a shot from downtown with 9.1 seconds left in the game giving Minnesota the lead and the game. The Timberwolves continue to be one of the hottest teams in the NBA.

The Warriors got some amazing things from Dario Saric with 21 points and Chris Paul with 15. Top dog in this game was Brandin Podziemski with 23 points a career high for him. Kevon Looney had 12 rebounds.

This was a wild game for Golden State being so short-handed and competing so hard and just coming up short. Golden State responded so beautifully after the way this game started, picking up the pieces and almost winning this game. The high for Minnesota was Karl Anthony-Towns with 33 points and 11 rebounds and Gobert chipping in 13 rebounds of his own.

There will be little rest for the Warriors taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night. That game is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Warriors lose a hard-fought battle against Timberwolves, 105-101; Green and Gobert get ejected after brawl; Golden State drops fourth straight game

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Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) front center, guard Draymond Green left gets into a first half brawl with the Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (back) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Tue Nov 14, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (6-6) did not have guard Stephen Curry in Tuesday night’s starting Lineup. The Warriors had the veteran Chris Paul sub for Curry, and Steve Kerr started Dario Saric instead of Kevon Looney. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were in the Warriors starting lineup. The Warriors ended up losing their fourth straight game and getting swept in the two game set by the Minnesota Timberwolves (8-2) 105-101.

Things went downhill quickly. With less than two minutes played, Thompson and the Wolves’ Jaden McDaniels got into quite a skirmish. It appeared that McDaniels grabbed Klay’s arm as the teams were in transition.

Thompson took umbrage with McDaniels holding his arm, and McDaniels answered by grabbing and ripping Thompson’s jersey. Green put a chokehold on Rudy Gobert as the Wolves’ Gobert attempted to pull the players apart. The referees ejected Thompson, Green, and McDaniels. Not a single point was on the scoreboard when this happened. The Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr, had to revamp his lineup quickly.

Kerr inserted rookie Brandin Podziemski as the shooting guard. The young man, drafted in the first round by the Warriors, showed the fans at Chase Center that he could play in the NBA. While the Warriors fell to the Wolves, Podziemski wowed everyone in the arena.

Up to this point in the season, Curry was the only Warriors to put 20 or more points on the board this season. Podziemski played 38 minutes and recorded 23 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and one steal. Podziemski made three three in eight tries. Kerr now knows the young man from Santa Clara University will be getting more minutes of playing time in the future.

Minnesota, even without McDaniels, had four stars in their lineup. Karl-Anthony Towns had a season-high 33 points. Towns pulled down 11 boards and made five threes. Anthony Edwards finished with 320. Edward made a three late in the fourth quarter to put the Wolves ahead 96-95. 

The Warriors behind Podziemski, Dario Saric, and Chris Paul won the first quarter 30-22. The Wolves had to be surprised at the play of the Warriors’ reserves. The Warriors maintained the lead at the end of the first half, leading by five, 59-54. 

The Warriors continued to play well in the third quarter. Saric and Podziemski continued to put points on the board. Podziemski hit a three at the buzzer to put the Warriors ahead by seven, 83-76. The Warriors had to play well in the fourth quarter if they hoped to upset the Wolves.

Minnesota came into the game, owning the best defense in the NBA. The Wolves stopped the Warrior offense cold at the start of the fourth quarter. The Wolves went on a 7-0 run to tie the game. From that point until late in the quarter, it was a dogfight.

Neither team could pull away. Saric hit a three to make it 98-96. Towns hit a three to put the Wolves ahead by one, 99-98. The Wolves Michael Conley knocked down a three to increase the lead to 104-98. Moses Moody connected on a three to close the gap to 104-101. It was too little, too late. The Wolves ran out the clock to preserve the win.

Game Notes: The Warriors lost their fourth game in a row to even their record at 6-6. Minnesota improved to 8-2

Saric had 21, and Podziemski 23. These two players join Curry as the only players to score 20 or more points in a game this season. Kerr had to be pleased with the contributions of Moody (11), and Chris Paul (15). Backup Guard Cory Joseph had six, and Gary Payton II added seven.

There may be additional penalties for the melee early in the game. Draymond Green may be suspended for attacking Rudy Gobert and putting a choke hold on him. 

The Warriors play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7 p.m.