NBA: Stephen Curry leads Warriors to strong start in win over Timberwolves

Stephen Curry scored 44 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors escaped with a 119-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night in Minneapolis.

Yaxel Lendeborg added 26 points for Golden State, which won its second straight game after losing its first three contests of the season. Brandon Williams chipped in 11 points off the bench.

Jonathan Kuminga scored 20 points against his former team to lead Minnesota, which dropped its second game in a row after a 3-0 start. Jaden McDaniels and Terrence Shannon Jr. each finished with 19 points, and Ayo Dosunmu contributed 17.

Minnesota played without top scorer Anthony Edwards for the first time since the team announced he would undergo a procedure on his right knee. Edwards is expected to miss about two months.

The Timberwolves outscored the Warriors 66-55 in the second half but could not complete the comeback attempt. Bones Hyland made a bank shot to trim the deficit to three points in the final seconds, but Curry ended the scoring with two free throws.

The Warriors led 93-81 at the end of the third quarter.

Golden State increased its lead to as many as 24 points midway through the second half. Curry converted a three-point play to give the Warriors a 78-54 lead.

Minnesota closed the third quarter on a 27-15 run to cut the deficit to 12. Hyland came off the bench and made a pair of 3-pointers to help the Timberwolves draw closer.

Golden State led 64-48 at the half.

The Warriors closed the first quarter on a 21-9 run to grab a 30-23 advantage. De'Anthony Melton knocked down a pair of 3-pointers during the run, and Lendeborg added a driving layup and a 3-pointer.

Another layup by Lendeborg gave Golden State its first double-digit lead of the game at 48-38 with 6:29 left in the half.

Golden State scored seven of the final nine points of the first half to go ahead by 16. Lendeborg made a 3-pointer and Will Richard and Curry made two free throws apiece.

-Field Level Media/Reuters