Warriors take over in fourth, survive scare from T'Wolves

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MINNEAPOLIS -- With all the Golden State Warriors have accomplished in the last three years, they take special pride in an NBA-record streak of 111 regular-season games without back-to-back losses.

The Minnesota Timberwolves thought they were going to end that run Sunday night. Those hopes ended with a splash.

Klay Thompson scored 30 points and the Warriors roared back to avoid their first set of consecutive regular-season losses since 2015 with a 116-108 victory over the Timberwolves.

Stephen Curry had 22 points and nine assists, and the Warriors rallied from a 10-point deficit to start the fourth quarter to keep their streak alive. Thompson scored 12 points during a 25-4 surge to start the final period.

"Let's not fool ourselves," said Draymond Green, who scored 18 points and hit five 3-pointers. "We played a great 12 minutes, inspired by our second unit who played 9 of those 12 minutes. And that's what gave us this win."

Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points and 18 rebounds, and Andrew Wiggins scored 25 for the Timberwolves (6-18), who lost their fourth straight game.

"I wanted to stop that streak," Towns said.

Zach LaVine scored 25 points and hit five 3s for the Wolves.

The Warriors were coming off a 21-point loss Saturday to the Grizzlies and were playing their fourth game in five nights, and it was clear from the start that they were a little weary.

Just when Curry appeared to be heating up, hitting back-to-back 3s midway through the third quarter, the best shooter on the planet tossed up an airball on the very next possession. Between that ghastly miss and Kevin Durant missing a wide-open layup, it was clear the Warriors were just a bit off for the second night in a row, something that hasn't happened in the regular season since April 7, 2015.

The Wolves closed the third period with a 14-1 run, but the Warriors found the gas pedal.

"We were down 10 but we didn't let it deflate us," Thompson said. "Twelve minutes is a long time for this team."

TIP-INS:
Warriors: Curry passed Steve Nash for 17th on the career 3-pointers list. ... C Zaza Pachulia was out again with sprained right wrist. ... Kevon Looney started at center despite being listed as questionable with a sprained right ankle.

Timberwolves: Minnesota outrebounded Golden State 51-37. ... F Nemanja Bjelica missed his second straight game with a sore right ankle.

RECORD STREAK:
The Warriors lost three straight games to Cleveland in the NBA Finals in June, but surviving the gauntlet of the regular season the way they have remains impressive. The streak is 16 games longer than the second-place Utah Jazz, who went 95 straight from 1997-99.

"It's one of the most impressive streaks that I can think of in my experience in the NBA," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before the game.

KD STRUGGLES:
Durant missed 14 of his first 17 shots, many of them open looks that he normally knocks down. He went 3 for 5 in the fourth quarter, getting some encouragement from Curry along the way.

"My energy was low because I was feeling sorry for myself," Durant said. "But I can't do that, you know? I'm 10 years in the league and I've got to wake up sometimes when I get down on myself. It's just part of the game. I'm going to miss shots. I'm going to miss layups. I'm going to make mistakes. Just keep fighting. My teammates encouraged me all night and it was much-needed."

REUNITED:
Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau has been friends with Warriors assistant Ron Adams for more than two decades. Adams worked under Thibodeau in Chicago, and the Wolves coach said that when he got the job in Minnesota this summer he called Adams and "begged him" to leave Golden State and join him.

"They have such a great organization that I knew it was kind of tongue-in-cheek," Thibodeau said. "I know how happy he is with the situation that he's in."

UP NEXT:
Warriors: Golden State finishes its five-game road trip with a game in New Orleans against former assistant coach Alvin Gentry on Tuesday.

Timberwolves: Minnesota heads to Chicago on Tuesday, where Thibodeau will face his former team for the first time since he was fired two years ago.

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