Warriors at Timberwolves
Kevin Durant is tuning up for the postseason by making some personal history as the Golden State Warriors try to lock up the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference. Durant will try to follow up a career-best 12-of-13 shooting performance when the Warriors visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
Durant started 10-of-10 from the floor and finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the 118-103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. "He does whatever he wants each game," Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "I felt like he could have been 24-for-25 if he wanted, but he was distributing the ball and trying to get everybody involved. He was brilliant. ... Kevin is who he is. He's one of the most efficient players ever. He can get any shot he wants against any defense. So regardless of how somebody is playing us he can go get a shot and it's a good shot." The Timberwolves are reduced to playing spoiler the rest of the way and are not doing a very good job in that regard with losses in six of the last seven games and each of the setbacks coming against teams fighting for playoff position. Minnesota watched a team clinch its postseason spot with a 122-111 home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday and hasn't beaten a team with a winning record since a 131-120 triumph over Oklahoma City on March 5.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Bay Area (Golden State), FS North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (51-23): Golden State heads into play on Thursday a half-game ahead of the Denver Nuggets in the race for the top spot in the West and Durant is trying to lift his club by going a combined 17-of-19 from the floor in the last two games - both wins. "It's unbelievable," Warriors guard Stephen Curry told reporters of Durant. "He made all the right decisions. I know we had a couple turnovers as a team but just reading the situation, letting the game come to him. We obviously know he can put the ball in the basket from anywhere on the court, but just picking and choosing his spots, knocking down shots, it's what he does." Curry averaged 27 points in the last two games, knocking down 11-of-22 from beyond the arc.
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (33-41): The team isn't racking up wins, but All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns is still trying to lead his squad and posted his eighth straight double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds on Tuesday. "We just didn't execute the way we needed to," Towns told reporters. "Something that I think has failed us in a lot of our losses is just our execution. It hasn't been the effort and it hasn't been the determination. It's just been the execution." Minnesota interim coach Ryan Saunders pointed to the lack of execution on the defensive end after his team allowed the Clippers to score 42 points in the first quarter and 75 points in the opening half.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Timberwolves PF Dario Saric is 7-of-12 from 3-point range over the last three games after going 2-of-14 in the previous five contests.
2. Warriors PF Jordan Bell should be available after serving a one-game suspension on Wednesday for conduct detrimental to the team.
3. Golden State took each of the first three meetings, including a 117-107 win at Minnesota on March 19.