Golden State (51-15) missed an opportunity to take over the top seed in the Western Conference on Friday night as they lost 125-108 to the Portland Trail Blazers. Kevin Durant picked up the scoring slack with Stephen Curry sidelined with an ankle injury, scoring 40 points, but the Warriors struggled to contain Damian Lillard and C. J. McCollum, who combined for 58 points and nine of Portland's 16 3-pointers.
Curry will also sit out this game, and the Warriors have gone 11-5 without him this season. They are also without rookie Jordan Bell, while veteran swingman Andre Iguodala could miss a third straight game with a sore ankle. Golden State are trying to avoid losing back-to-back games for just the second time this season and the fourth time since the start of the 2015/16 season.
Minnesota (38-29) are tied with Oklahoma City for sixth in the Western Conference and part of an eight-way scramble for the final six playoff spots with the teams separated by just four games entering play Saturday. The Timberwolves fell to 2-3 without All-Star guard Jimmy Butler, who is out with a torn meniscus, and have dropped three straight after a 117-109 loss at home to Boston on Thursday night.
Nemanja Bjelica, who averages 6.5 points, scored a career-high 30 while Karl-Anthony Towns added 15 and 11 rebounds, but Andrew Wiggins went six of 21 from the field, including one of eight from 3-point range, and finished with 13 points.
While the Warriors have the offensive depth to withstand the loss of Curry, the Timberwolves are still trying to find their sea legs without Butler, who averages 22.2 points. Minnesota are 4-7 without him, including 2-5 against opponents with winning records.