Warriors Show Poise, Rally To Defeat T-Wolves In OT

Last night's game with the Minnesota Timberwolves showcased both the inexperience and the promise of the Warriors' youth movement.

The Warriors relied on both the veteran presence of Stephen Jackson and the energy of young players such as Brandan Wright to defeat the Timberwolves 113-110 in Overtime at Oracle Arena, despite blowing a sizable third quarter lead.

Jackson led all scorers with 30 points, and also added 5 assists, while Kelenna Azubuike scored 22 and pulled down 8 rebounds. Andris Biedrins collected his 93,700th double-double in a row (ok, maybe not, but he does have one in all eight games so far this season) before fouling out for the third time this season.

Al Jefferson led the Wolves with 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Biedrins, Wright (who chipped in 13 points and 7 boards), and Azuibuke were particularly active on the offensive glass, each pulling down three offensive rebounds. 

The Warriors led at halftime, thanks to a run keyed by Anthony Morrow's eight points (including two three-pointers) in the last four minutes of the second quarter. The Warriors shot over forty percent from downtown in the game.

But Golden State struggled in the third quarter, with sloppy play that included turnovers and bad shot selection. By the middle of the fourth quarter, the Warriors looked like they were self-destructing, with travelling calls and offensive fouls adding to their misery.

Then, with four minutes remaining, Minnesota went cold. So cold that Craig Smith's basket with 4:30 remaining gave them their last points of the 4th quarter.

The Warriors, still down by nine, became more aggressive. While this resulted in some offensive fouls (Azuibuke's turnover on a charge with less than :50 on the clock especially egregious), the effort often resulted in trips to the free-throw line.

And in the closing minute, Wright and Biedrins played solid defense, leading to a C.J. Watson-assisted layup by Captain Jack that tied the score with around twenty seconds remaining.  One more impressive defensive stop later, and the game was headed to OT.

In the extra quarter, Stephen Jackson, the lone veteran, stepped up as a veteran should, single-handedly outscoring the Wolves with two clutch threes.

Overall, the game showed the strengths and weaknesses of the revamped Warriors lineup. The energy of the young players was undeniable, even with Monta absent.

There were many plays that probably made fans think, "If the Warriros were playing a better team, they wouldn't be able to get away with that," but with Randolph and especially Wright getting greatly-increased minutes, the improvement will come with game experience.

There is also no doubt that the team will thrive without Harrington, and that the player(s) that the Warriors receive in the trade will benefit from playing on a young team that improves with every game, and is beginning to show poise in difficult situations.