Golden State coach Steve Kerr left the door open for Stephen Curry and Draymond Green to return to the lineup Friday in San Francisco when the Warriors take on the Minnesota Timberwolves to tip off a three-day, two-game, same-site sequence.
The clubs — who have yet to face off this season — are scheduled for a rematch on Sunday, also in San Francisco, mirroring an NBA-style doubleheader they had last November, also in California. The Timberwolves swept those games, the second of which having been memorable for Green putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock, drawing a five-game suspension.
On Thursday, Curry was resting sore knees and Green a painful left calf when the Warriors did what they do best — beat the Houston Rockets — 99-93 at home on the front end of a back-to-back set.
Jonathan Kuminga provided the late-game heroics to cap a career-best 33-point performance, while Andrew Wiggins added 23 points and nine rebounds, helping the Warriors snap a five-game losing streak by beating the Rockets for a 15th straight time.
Kerr noted before the game that the ailments for Curry and Green weren’t considered serious, but each has the potential to linger. So while playing on consecutive nights was out of the question, both Curry and Green were scheduled for re-evaluation Friday.
And on his way out the door, Kerr thanked Wiggins for coming to the rescue against the Rockets.
“I don’t even know if he should have played,” Kerr said, mentioning Wiggins’ sore right ankle. “But he knew Steph and Draymond were out and he knew how important this game was and he gutted it out. Ironman. He’s been that ever since he’s been here.”
While the Warriors have dominated the Rockets over the years, it’s been a while since they gotten the better of the Timberwolves. Minnesota swept last year’s three-game season series, giving the Wolves a four-game winning streak against Golden State.
The Timberwolves also have built a small run of wins over Pacific Division rivals of late, beating the Los Angeles teams a total of three times in a six-day stretch through Wednesday. They are in the middle of facing Pacific teams seven straight times, a sequence that began with a loss to the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 27 and continues after the oversized Golden State visit with a second duel against the Lakers on Dec. 13.
The Timberwolves have held their past three opponents — the Clippers twice, sandwiching the Lakers — to 92 points or fewer. They followed up a 109-80 win over the visiting Lakers on Monday with a 108-80 shellacking of the host Clippers on Wednesday.
Minnesota guard Donte DiVincenzo applauded the way he and his teammates responded to a four-game losing streak that left the club with an 8-10 record early last week.
“We’re not worried about what other people are saying. We’re focused on ourselves and staying together,” he said. “Stack a few wins and everybody’s energy changes. So we just got to stay with it.”
DiVincenzo will be making his second trip to San Francisco since leaving the Warriors as a free agent following the 2022-23 season. He enjoyed his initial homecoming with the Knicks last March, contributing 18 points to New York’s 119-112 victory.
–Field Level Media
