NBA Game Summary - Minnesota at Golden State
(Monday, March 19th)
Final Score: Minnesota 97, Golden State 93
Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Kevin Love had 36 points and 17 rebounds on
Monday, leading the Timberwolves to a 97-93 win over the Warriors.
Luke Ridnour added 11 points and Anthony Tolliver had 10 for Minnesota, which
halted a three-game slide. Still, the Timberwolves are just 2-4 since starting
point guard Ricky Rubio was lost for the season with a torn ACL.
"We were able to distribute the ball well," Love said. "Different guys stepped
up. This is what needed to happen tonight."
Golden State retired Hall of Famer Chris Mullin's No. 17 jersey at halftime
and fittingly overcame a 17-point deficit during the contest before eventually
dropping its fourth straight game.
David Lee had 25 points and nine rebounds, while recently-acquired Richard
Jefferson scored 19 for the Warriors, who played their fifth straight game
without shooting guard Stephen Curry.
The 17-point deficit came minutes before Mullin's ceremony, when Wesley
Johnson connected on a three for a 49-32 Minnesota advantage. Dorell Wright
answered with a trey at the buzzer, making it 49-35 at the break.
Wright's three, coupled with a spirited ceremony, which featured adamant
booing of Golden State owner Joe Lacob, ignited the Warriors in the third.
They outscored the Timberwolves, 32-22, and took a 62-61 lead on Klay
Thompson's trey with three minutes left in the quarter.
They were still up one, 85-84, in the fourth when Minnesota took control.
Tolliver knocked down a three and Love followed with a jumper for an 89-85
advantage with four minutes left. Lee responded with 1-of-2 free throws but a
Love putback and a Tolliver basket on the Timberwolves' next trip made it
93-86, effectively putting the game away with less than two minutes to go.
Mullin scored 17,911 career points and the Warriors would have appreciated his
talents in Monday's early going.
They went scoreless for the first five minutes of the game, finally breaking
through on Lee's layup. In all, they shot 6-of-21 in the quarter and trailed
21-14 entering the second.
During halftime, Mullin was forced to interrupt his own ceremony to address
the booing of Lacob. The owner has drawn the fans' ire, largely for trading
leading scorer Monta Ellis to Milwaukee for injured big man Andrew Bogut. Head
coach Mark Jackson addressed the incident after the game.
"Pulling the trigger on a Monta Ellis trade is not easy," said Jackson. "But
we understood that it was a play that put us in a position where the future is
awfully bright. We talked about it, this is a process, and we're gonna keep on
battling."
Game Notes
Timberwolves guard J.J. Barea had a season-high 10 assists...Jefferson's 19
points tied a season-high. He was acquired from San Antonio at the trade
deadline...Mullin, a five-time All-Star, played 13 seasons with the
Warriors...Curry has a sprained right ankle.
03/20 03:13:08 ET

|