Hyland’s banked jumper with one second left cut Golden State’s lead to 117-114. Stephen Curry then walked to the foul line and made two shots that had seemed routine for most of the night, but suddenly carried the entire shape of the finish. His free throws completed a 44-point performance and secured the Warriors’ 119-114 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday.
For Golden State, Curry’s perfect foul shooting mattered more than the prettier parts of his scoring night. He went 11-for-27 from the field and 6-for-16 on 3-pointers, good enough to produce 44 points but hardly the sort of efficient shooting display that makes a game feel safely in hand. The 16-for-16 line at the stripe supplied 16 dependable points while the jump shot kept misbehaving.
That value arrived in installments. Curry made two free throws at 10:28 of the fourth quarter and three more at 9:20, reaching 40 points without needing a made field goal in that stretch. Those five points helped Golden State maintain separation after Minnesota had begun pressing the margin, and they became more important when the Warriors’ offense later stopped looking quite so tidy.
Curry returned with Golden State ahead 107-96 after Minnesota had narrowed the gap. At 2:58, he found Georges Niang for a layup that made it 111-101. At 2:30, Curry’s finger roll pushed the lead to 113-104. These were the sorts of timely baskets a team needs from its best scorer, but they were bridges, not a finish line.
He appeared to build that final bridge at 2:20, when Curry stole a bad pass. Four seconds later, he fed Yaxel Lendeborg for a running dunk and a 115-104 advantage. Lendeborg’s 26 points and nine rebounds gave Golden State needed production, though his seven turnovers also helped make the ending unnecessarily hazardous.
At 1:07, he made one of two free throws for a 116-109 lead, and DeAnthony Melton’s offensive rebound of the miss prevented Minnesota from immediately taking possession.
Then came the uncomfortable part. Ayo Dosunmu’s 3-pointer made it 116-112 with 32 seconds remaining. Curry turned the ball over at 24 seconds, and Dosunmu moved toward a running layup before Melton blocked the attempt at 18 seconds.
Draymond Green collected the rebound, only for Green to lose the ball one second later. The Warriors had a four-point lead and were still making Minnesota earn every inch of the court the hard way.
Minnesota did not get a tying or go-ahead shot from that sequence, but Golden State hardly controlled it. Jaden McDaniels missed a 3-pointer at 13 seconds, recovered his own offensive rebound and missed again at nine seconds. Lendeborg secured that rebound, then made one of two free throws at six seconds for a 117-112 lead.