Photo credit: @warriors
By Jerry Feitelberg
SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors won their first game of the preseason as they defeated the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves 143-123 at Chase Center on Thursday night.
The Warriors inserted Marquese Chriss at the center position and Glenn Robinson III at forward to work with Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and D’Angelo Russell. W’s head coach Steve Kerr wanted to see how Chriss would do in his first action with Golden State. Kerr increased the number of minutes played by his starters and then inserted players that will be looking to make the team. The Warriors have a lot of new players this season, and Kerr wanted to see who would step up and show that they can play in the NBA.
Both teams played a fast-paced game. The Warriors love to run as that opens up the court, and players have to take advantage of the open looks. The Warriors fell behind early in the first period. They trailed by seven, 19-12. It was at this point that their perennial All-Star Steph Curry got hot. Curry finished the first quarter with 17 points, and the Warriors led 35-31 after the first 12 minutes of play. The Warriors scored 35 points in the second quarter to lead 70-64 at the end of the first half. Curry had 24. D’Angelo Russell knocked down 11. Draymond Green had 5, Marquese Chriss 6, and Glenn Robinson 4. Omari Spellman had 6, Jordan Poole 5, Eric Paschall 4, and Damian Lee 3. The Warriors shot 51% from the floor, and they made 8 threes in 17 attempts. They were a little sloppy with the ball as they committed 12 turnovers in the first half. They moved the ball well as they recorded 16 assists in the first 24 minutes of play.
The Warriors tallied 41 points in the third period. Steph and D’Angelo Russell were removed from the game with about four minutes left in the third quarter. Curry finished with 40 points in 25 minutes of action. Russell finished with 16. The Warrior reserves increased the lead to ten 111-101, heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Jordan Poole, Glenn Robinson, Eric Paschall, and Omari Spellman continued to play well, and the Warriors won by 20 points, 143-123.
Notes: Steve Kerr had to be impressed with the play of Jordan Poole, Eric Paschall, and Glenn Robinson. The rookies Poole, from Michigan, and Paschall, from Villanova, played well. Poole knocked down 19 points in 21 minutes of action. Paschall kicked in with 11 in his 20 minutes of playing time. Robinson had 13 points and 5 boards. Omari Spellman also showed that he wanted a spot on the roster. He had 7 points, 4 boards, and 4 assists.
The Warriors shot 52.6% from the floor and were 19 for 37 from 3-point range. They had 34 assists on offense. On defense, they had 50 boards, 9 steals, and 11 blocked shots. They moved the ball well. They found the open man and worked the pick and roll well.
Minnesota’s starters Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Jeff Teague scored 13, 9, and 13, respectively. Their bench players did well. Big Jake Layman had 17. Naz Reid had 14, Shabazz Napier 11, and the rookie from Texas Tech Jarrett Culver had 17.
Each team committed too many turnovers. The T-Wolves had 19, and the Warriors finished with 21.
Warriors’ centers Kevon Looney was out with a hamstring injury, and Willie Cauley-Stein will probably miss the preseason with an ankle injury. The Serbian rookie, Alen Smailagic, did not play. He was using a walking boot and on crutches. There is no date when he will be ready to play. Alec Burks is also out with an ankle problem.
Up Next: The Warriors’ next game will be Monday night against the LA Lakers in Los Angeles. They play again in LA on the 16th and finish the preseason against the Lakers at the Chase Center on October 18th.
