Late Turnovers Prove Costly for Warriors As Towns and Wolves Record Critical Road Win

• The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Golden State Warriors in stunning fashion on Sunday
• Karl-Anthony Towns was the hero for the Timberwolves in this critical Western Conference encounter
• He scored the go-ahead basket with 11 seconds left to help the Wolves extend their winning streak to three

The Minnesota Timberwolves bolstered their playoff hopes with a thrilling 99-96 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.

Karl-Anthony Towns drained two late 3-pointers to give Minnesota the all-important win.

The Wolves moved within a half-game of the Warriors for sixth place in the Western Conference.

Green turnover dooms the Warriors

The Warriors looked like they were on their way to another home win as they had a 96-95 lead and possession of the basketball with 16 seconds left.

NBA Power Rankings: Milwaukee Bucks in No. 1 spot as Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings soar

NBA

Draymond Green had a costly turnover though, as his pass was stolen by Kyle Anderson, per ESPN.

The Wolves quickly went on the attack, with Towns hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining in the game clock.

The Warriors still had a chance to send the game into overtime, but Steph Curry missed a contested three-point attempt from the baseline just before the final buzzer sounded.

Balanced attack for the Wolves

Towns finished the game with 14 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Sunday’s contest was just his second outing following a 52-game absence due to a strained right calf. He returned against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

Apart from Towns, five other players scored in double figures for the Wolves. Naz Reid provided the spark off the bench, scoring a team-high 23 points.

Anthony Edwards chipped in 13 points, while Mike Conley and Anderson each dropped 12 points. Rudy Gobert registered a double-double with 10 points and 18 rebounds.

Jimmy Butler dazzles on both ends as Miami Heat edge past Utah Jazz

NBA

It was a disappointing defeat for the Warriors, who had their nine-game home winning streak snapped. Golden State’s spot in the playoffs is still not sure, as the Warriors’ lead on the 11th-place Mavs is just 2.5 games.

Steph Curry’s highest-scoring games

Sports Brief recently reported on the highest-scoring games of Curry of his career.

He scored 62 points in Golden State’s 137-122 win over the Trail Blazers on January 3.

Curry shot 18 of 31 from the field in the contest, including 8 of 16 from beyond the arc.