MINNEAPOLIS — Tuesday night wasn't a traditional shootout at Target Center between two All-Star NBA players.
Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns certainly have a different aesthetic to their games, but the basketball magician and one of the most skilled big men in the league each did whatever it seemed they wanted on the Target Center floor.
But against an injury-plagued Warriors team, the Wolves overwhelmed Golden State with their depth to turn a close game into a comfortable 129-114 win even with Anthony Edwards sitting out because of left knee soreness.
The Wolves entered the fourth quarter up nine but saw a unit largely comprised of D'Angelo Russell and their bench extend that lead with a 10-3 run to start the quarter. They took off from there. The Warriors just didn't have enough firepower outside of Curry to match up and the Wolves snapped a five-game losing streak on the tail end of consecutive games.
Towns took advantage of an undersized Warriors squad to finish with 39 points and earned some "MVP" chants late from the crowd.
Russell had 22 points and seven assists. But just as important for the Wolves were the 20 points Malik Beasley had, 17 in the second half, and 11points from Taurean Prince that helped bury Golden State.
Curry finished with 34 points on 10-for-24 shooting while Andrew Wiggins had a throwback performance for the Target Center crowd with 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting.
The Wolves' luck of running into good opponents when they're not a full strength continued, a night after they played a Cleveland team missing multiple point guards and Caris Levert. Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala were among those out for the Warriors, who also lost Moses Moody to a left eye contusion during the first half.
The Wolves, though, were without Edwards, who was sidelined as a game-time decision because of lingering left knee pain that has hampered him in February.
Wiggins hit his first three shots before missing his next three. Matching him in the early going was Towns, who played a strong first quarter with 15 points.
Towns hit five field goals and got to the free-throw line four times as he helped the Wolves overcome a 22-16 deficit. The Wolves closed the first quarter ahead 34-27, their biggest lead of the night to that point. That's something they replicated at the close of the second quarter.
The Wolves maintained a single-digit lead through most of the second quarter until the starters checked back in. Russell drew a bonus situation at the free-throw line on his well-known rip-through move, and then got a 3-point play on a foul from Curry.
The Wolves closed the first half on a 10-2 run for a 68-56 lead at halftime.
Curry was just getting warmed up. He took over the game in spurts during the third quarter, when he had 16. But the Wolves had an answer with a Towns bucket or Beasley 3 every time Curry got Golden State close.
Towns continued to operate in attack mode as he scored 11 in the quarter to keep the Wolves ahead 96-87 headed into the fourth. Both Towns and Curry had 31 at the end of the third.
The Wolves would make one of their best runs of the game, however, with Towns resting to start the fourth. As the game got a little chippy, the Wolves turned up the intensity on defense and clamped down on the Warriors to open the fourth. That was all the space they needed. Halfway through the quarter, Warriors coach Steve Kerr had pulled Curry, conceding the night.
