The Warriors looked to be in cruise control against the Timberwolves on Wednesday before a late-game collapse saw them go down 119-114 in overtime.
Golden State led by 14 points in the fourth quarter but then produced several uncharacteristic turnovers, which allowed the Timberwolves to creep back into the contest.
That left coach Steve Kerr less than pleased.
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"I thought we had control of the game and then I thought we just kind of gift-wrapped it. Not to take anything away from Minnesota. They were great," he said.
"They took advantage of our mistakes and our lack of execution, D-Lo (D'Angelo Russell) got hot and guys made big shots. But we missed box-outs, we threw the ball away, we took really difficult shots. So everything we had done to that point to have control of the game we stopped doing, so we got what we deserved."
Steve Kerr says the Warriors "gift-wrapped" this game to the T-Wolves pic.twitter.com/WXXNrJuWCP
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) February 2, 2023
The Warriors committed just five turnovers in the first half, but they coughed up the ball nine times in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Timberwolves made them pay, turning their 17 total turnovers into 24 points while also attempting 15 more field goals.
To make matters worse, the Warriors' offense was unable to get going when they needed it most. They scored just 43 points in the second half and OT after piling up 71 through the first 24 minutes. They settled for low-percentage jumpers and tough isolations down the stretch.
Per NBA.com Stats, the Warriors are 13-14 in clutch games this season (games within five points in the final five minutes). And they're 2-15 in their last 17 overtime contests.
Stephen Curry has played 5 OT games in the last 2 seasons.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 2, 2023
He has scored a total of 7 points and shot 1-13 from the floor in those OT periods.
The Warriors as a team have lost 9 straight road overtime games. pic.twitter.com/mtCEl28J79
"If you want to win, especially on the road, you have to execute and we've probably lost five to six games like this on the road this year just because of a lack of execution," Kerr added.
"We're not good enough to win without executing. We might have been a few years ago; we're not good enough now to win without executing in the fourth quarter on the road."
A familiar face inflicted the damage as Russell caught fire in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 consecutive points against his former squad.
OH, HE'S COOKIN' 🔥
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) February 2, 2023
7-0 run for the Timberwolves! #RaisedByWolves | #Timberwolves pic.twitter.com/OMiAceRdHU
He finished with 29 points on 11-of-23 shooting (7 for 17 from 3-point range). Anthony Edwards added 27 points and Naz Reid had 24 points and 13 rebounds.
Seven Warriors scored in double figures, but Stephen Curry was the only one to cross 20 points, finishing with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists.
The Warriors fell to 26-25 on the season. They fell to a half-game behind the No. 6 Timberwolves (28-26) in the Western Conference.
