Warriors complete two-game sweep of Timberwolves

Kelly Oubre Jr. and James Wiseman stepped up with Steph Curry struggling early in the game.

If only the Golden State Warriors could play the Minnesota Timberwolves 72 times this season.

The Dubs beat the Timberwolves comfortably for the second-straight time with a 123-111 win.

Rookie James Wiseman had a career-high 25 points and added six rebounds, while Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 19 to lead the Dubs to a sweep of the two-game set against Minnesota.

The game was close through the opening two quarters. Both teams struggled over the opening 12 minutes, shooting a combined 14-of-46 from the field. Oubre got into foul trouble very early on but helped get the offense going in the second quarter.

He connected on five of his field-goal attempts and finished with 16 points in the quarter as the Dubs had a 58-51 lead at the break.

“I thought one of the big keys of the night was Kelly Oubre,” head coach Steve Kerr said following the game. “He had a big second quarter, got us going offensively.”

It looked like it would be close the rest of the way, but the Warriors — led by Stephen Curry — outscored Minnesota 37-24 in the third to pull away for good. Curry got going in a big way, hitting four 3-pointers in the quarter, highlighted by this one with just over two minutes left in the third.

The win didn’t come against elite competition by any means, but there were some encouraging signs from this one. Curry was just one-of-nine from the field in the first half and had only two points at the break.

We have seen the Warriors struggle offensively when Curry isn’t going, but Oubre, Wiseman and Andrew Wiggins stepped up to carry the load. The trio combined for 64 points, their highest collective output of the season.

Kerr loved what he was from the rookie, who he believes is starting to figure things out.

“James was fantastic. Obviously some highlight reel dunks in transition and catching lobs and that kind of stuff,” Kerr said. “But what we were all most pleased about was his verticality at the rim. I think he must have had four plays where he did just exactly what he’s taught every day, which is jump straight up, arms straight up.”

Consistency has been the biggest issue for Golden State a quarter of the way through the season. The Dubs need to have players like Oubre, Wiggins and Wiseman step up more often, especially when the opposition is doing everything it can to slow down Steph.

Golden State also did an excellent job of moving the ball and setting up open shots. The Warriors finished with 31 assists in this game, tied for their second-most of the season.

No one is going to start planning the championship parade after sweeping Minnesota, but the Dubs are 10-8 and sitting in a playoff spot heading after a quarter of the season.

How are you feeling about the team 25% of the way into the schedule? What do you think is the biggest weakness the Warriors have shown 18 games into the season?