The saying goes, "It's not about how you start, it's about how you finish." Building a 20-point lead after the first quarter, second quarter and third quarter certainly helps. That was the case in the Warriors' 137-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday at Target Center.
The Warriors are sick of hearing about how bad they have been on the road, and they can use this film as a starting point to racking up more wins.
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They shot 57.5 percent from the field, 42.6 percent from downtown and the ball was moving with 36 more assists. It was a balanced effort in all aspects, too. Six Warriors scored in double figures.
Steph Curry, of course, led the Warriors with 25 points. Jordan Poole added 24 off the bench and Klay Thompson had an efficient 21 points while going 8-for-13 from the field. When that happens, wins follow.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors improving to 11-10 on the season.
Perfect Start
Golden State Warriors
Coming into Sunday, the T-Wolves led the NBA in first-quarter points per game. But this time, it was the Warriors who went off right away.
They played a near perfect first quarter.
Here's all the proof you need.
The Warriors led 47-27 after the first quarter, good for their most first-quarter points all season. Golden State shot 76 percent (19-for-25) from the field and 60 percent (6-for-10) from 3-point range. The ball was moving with 11 assists, and the Warriors were beating the Wolves at their own game with 13 rebounds and 20 points in the paint.
Plus, the scoring came from a plethora of players. Eight Warriors scored in the first 12 minutes of the game. Curry led the way with 13 points and six rebounds. Andrew Wiggins was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from 3-point range. Green played a beautiful first period with six points of his own, seven assists and one block.
To open the game up, Wiggins put the T-Wolves on notice. It's not a secret anymore how much he loves playing his former team.
Whatever they had for breakfast before this matinee, make sure that's on the menu going forward
Treymond
At 32 years old, Draymond is playing some of the best basketball of his career. He always brings it on the defensive end, always pushes the pace and always has his eyes up as the Warriors' version of an All-Pro quarterback.
Offensively, he has taken his game to another level. Sunday was the latest example.
Green scored 19 points, his most since Christmas of 2019. He went 6-for-7 from the field, made one of his two 3-pointers and went 6-for-8 from the free throw line. Also, he added 11 assists, four rebounds and two blocks.
The veteran star is shooting career bests from the field and 3-point range, along with his effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage. He now has scored in double figures eight times this season and his shot from long distance looks the best it has in years.
If Green can be back to being a scoring threat, the rest of the league is in for a rude awakening.
Kuminga Finding His Groove
Once again, the Warriors' starters were unstoppable at times. That five-man group has been far and away the best in basketball. But as bench roles start to shape up, the youngest of the bunch is begging to find his way.
Jonathan Kuminga played 19 minutes in reserve, and made each count. Kuminga scored seven points, going 3-for-5 shooting the ball and grabbed six rebounds. He also swatted away two more blocks.
On Friday, Kuminga was a plus-2 in plus/minus without taking one shot. This time he was a plus-8, his second-best of the season. Why? Energy.
Kuminga is turning into the spark the Warriors need on both sides of the ball. His athleticism takes over at times, and the game is slowing down for the 20-year-old. The bench overall had a solid performance, and Kuminga was a big reason why.