Warriors’ defensive identity emerges as Steph Curry pours in 44

This team wants to hang its hat on the defensive end and to form an identity on that end of the floor, as Draymond Green said on Monday in Denver. De'Anthony Melton mentioned in training camp that they aspire to rank in the top three in defensive rating. After a rough 0-3 start, that identity is starting to take shape, as the Golden State Warriors held on to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-114 behind Steph Curry's 44-point gem.

Exactly what that identity looks like is still unclear, but there have been clear clues over the last two games. With their small-ball lineup featuring Draymond Green as the center, they want to fly around, disrupt the passing lanes, and be solid at the rim. More importantly, they want, and need, to defend as a five-man unit.

Warriors’ defense finds strength in numbers

Against a much more athletic Timberwolves squad, the Warriors held their own defensively, especially in the first half. The Wolves, even without Anthony Edwards who missed the game due to a knee injury and is expected to be sidelined for a couple of months, remain a dangerous offensive team. LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga, Ayo Dosunmu and Terrence Shannon Jr. are all legitimate scoring threats. Golden State held Minnesota to just 48 first-half points on 39% shooting.

Kuminga had a productive game, putting up 20 points and five assists without turning the ball over. As for Ball, Golden State's perimeter defenders limited him to just eight points on 3-for-11 shooting and forced him into six turnovers. He also accumulated five fouls. Brandin Podziemski, Melton, Will Richard and Gary Payton II all contributed to shutting down LaMelo, the type of player that can easily catch fire and go win a game for his team.

"LaMelo played the same way he played in Charlotte the last couple of years tonight," Podziemski said."So that's what I did pregame is watch a bunch of my clips against him in Charlotte, and just kind of prepare for him to be ultra-aggressive."

The veterans were also active defensively. Fresh off an encouraging performance in Denver, Al Horford made his presence felt in the paint. Georges Niang had a big steal early in the fourth that led to an uncontested dunk by Gary Payton II on the other end, as Minnesota was creeping closer.

Speaking of veterans. After doing a great job on Nikola Jokic on Monday, Green, playing alongside Georges Niang to start the game, turned Rudy Gobert into a non-factor. Gobert came into the game as one of the best rebounders in the NBA, averaging over 14 rebounds per game and five on the offensive glass. The seven-footer finished with just one point and four rebounds in 20 minutes. He was a -11 and sat on the bench in the closing minutes of the game.

"Draymond remains one of the best defenders in the league, night in, night out. It's inspiring to watch him play and watch him compete. He's amazing," Kerr said.

Minnesota came into the game as the best rebounding team in the NBA. It was going to take more than Green to secure defensive rebounds and not give up second-chance opportunities. The whole team contributed. Curry had eight. Yaxel Lendeborg, who leads all rookies in rebounds, collected nine to go along with his 26 points. Melton and Brandin Podziemski chipped in six and five, respectively. As a team, the Warriors outrebounded Minnesota 53-42 and turned 13 offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points.

As physically taxing as it is for Green to play at the five, it also frees up his offensive game against bigger, slower centers. Through four appearances, he's racked up 27 assists – the most by any player on the team. He collected six of them against the Wolves, including three to his longtime partner Curry.

Steph Curry’s 44-point eruption puts him in elite company

Again, Curry got off to a slow start, misfiring on his first three attempts from beyond the arc. Steph pointed out postgame that they approached the first quarter the same way they did the third quarter against Denver, when he ripped off 17 points on flawless shooting.

This time, his eruption came in the second quarter. With his teammates setting screens all over the floor and creating space for him, Curry racked up 19 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including five threes in eight second-quarter minutes en route to a 44-point masterclass.

"The first three I shot, all of them felt good, I got my feet underneath," Curry said. "All you need to do is see one go in. Shooters know that."

For the second time this season, Curry finished with double-digit free throws, going 16-for-16 from the line. He's yet to miss one this season, knocking down all 39 of his attempts so far.

Lendeborg, witnessing a real Curry explosion for the first time, jokingly said he needed someone to cuss him out to stay focused on the game.

"I caught myself shaking my head a couple of times," the rookie said.

With that 40-point game, the 76th of his career, Curry tied LeBron James for the most 40-point games after turning 35 years old in NBA history. Both players have 15 of them. Curry has done it in 234 fewer games. The other names on the list? Michael Jordan at 12. Kevin Durant at 9. James Harden at 6. And Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at 4.

"It's a blessing, man," Curry said when asked what it felt like to be a part of such a list. "I got a reminder today of, you know, how fortunate I am to still be playing this game at the level that I expect."

"When you have nights like these, when the body is feeling good, the ball starts to go in, you know, all the joy comes back and all the work that you put in. It's an incredible list, and the longevity is something I'm trying to pride myself on, and it's going well right now."

It wasn't perfect. The Warriors gave up 66 points and committed 11 turnovers in the second half, allowing Minnesota to climb back from a 24-point deficit and making it more stressful than it had to be down the stretch.

Kerr mentioned that the problems began in the third quarter. With a large lead already in hand, the Warriors chased bigger plays to try to extend that lead, drifting away from their sets that worked so well in the first half. It resulted in a less organized offense and a flurry of unnecessary turnovers.

De'Anthony Melton saved the day with a huge block in transition on Ayo Dosunmu with less than 20 seconds left to preserve the Warriors' four-point advantage. But this time, unlike against Memphis last week, the Warriors closed it out. As sloppy as it was, a win is a win.

"We got to learn the lesson," Steve Kerr said postgame."The effort was great, the connection, the guys' energy, everything was really good. I'm really excited about this team, but we've got a lot of growth ahead of us."

Vibes in the NBA can shift in a hurry. From an 0-3 start to two big road wins against playoff teams, the Warriors are starting to feel good about themselves. Next up on the schedule: a home game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Is Lendeborg looking forward to the rematch?

"Absolutely, absolutely. Yes, yes I am. But you know I'll talk about that more on Friday."

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