SAN FRANCISCO – Steph Curry beckoned to the delirious Chase Center crowd, imploring the fans to hit another decibel level after the Warriors superstar had done the dirty work, forcing a turnover in the backcourt to give his team a crucial possession down four.
Golden State was in the midst of a 10-2 run Friday night, speeding toward a comeback and a third consecutive victory.
Then the scoreboard flashed green, signaling that Wolves coach Chris Finch wanted a review. A few minutes later, a joyous Warriors throng turned into an agitated mass as video evidence showed that Curry had fouled former teammate Donte DiVincenzo a millisecond before the turnover.
Wolves ball, and a microcosm of a frustrating loss. Golden State’s superstar detonated for 39 points, but dozens of tiny mistakes – though mostly by teammates – doomed the Warriors to a 127-120 loss and a .500 record.
Botched rotations. Missed box outs. Careless fouls. In a game that saw the team make a spirited fourth-quarter comeback, it was that large collection of tiny errors that stood out in the minds of the losing team.
“it was a rough start to the fourth, but we did battle,” Curry said.
Curry had little to do with the Warriors’ biggest problem, that being their total inability to stop the supersized Wolves from scoring in the paint. Minnesota put in 66 points in that area, drawing 28 free throws, too.
Quinten Post was the most frequent victim of the Timberwolves’ forays into the paint. He was repeatedly dunked on by Rudy Gobert, often stuck in no-man’s land after his teammates failed to stop dribble penetration.
“I thought our defense let us down tonight,” Kerr said. “We had several plays in transition, in both halves, where we lost sight of Naz Reid, and a couple other shooters. I just thought our transition defense was poor.“
But Post also rued his hesitation on a 3-point shot down 119-118 with a minute left on the clock. Standing completely unattended in the right corner, he spun the ball to find the laces and paused for a few beats before finally taking the shot.
It was an uncharacteristic routine for a player who normally let long-range shots fly within a few milliseconds of the catch, and something he will not repeat in the future.
“Looking back at it, I wish I would have just shot it,” Post said. “But I’ll learn from it, and they’ll fall next time.”
Kerr made sure to mention that the loss did not fall solely on the second-year Dutchman. The team was missing both Draymond Green and Al Horford, and losing the battle inside was hardly a surprise.
“I mean injuries happen, they’re without Anthony Edwards obviously,” Kerr said. “So injuries are a part of this thing and our guys battled really well.”
Among those who fretted over his errors was De’Anthony Melton, playing in his third game since returning from ACL rehab. He joined Curry in the closing lineup, making plays with his smart decision-making and timely drives.
However, after the poor team result, he couldn’t help but focus on what he could have done better.
“It’s just about going back, watching film, and seeing what we can fix, and figuring it out,” Melton said.
He will not have much time to obsess over the loss. After all, the team has a road game in Portland on Sunday.
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