SAN FRANCISCO — Andrew Wiggins dismissed the idea that playing his former team carried any extra weight, but his performance Wednesday against the Timberwolves belied his words earlier that day.
Some of Wiggins’ best games with Golden State have come against Minnesota. None, however, could match the efficiency, the aggression and the explosiveness on display in the Warriors’ 123-110 win, led by 35 points from the lanky Canadian who spent the first five-plus seasons of his professional career with Minnesota.
An usually assertive Wiggins connected on his first 10 attempts from the field and didn’t miss until almost four minutes had expired in the second half. He brought the ball up the court on the Warriors’ first possession, drew a foul against D’Angelo Russell, and set the tone for the rest of the night.
Wiggins’ 35 points came on 14-of-19 shooting from the field and were a season-best for a player averaging 15.6 per game entering Wednesday night.
Only on two occasions since coming to Golden State has Wiggins topped his scoring output Wednesday against the Timberwolves.
The Warriors packaged Russell for Wiggins at the trade deadline two seasons ago. Playing alongside Stephen Curry, Wiggins hasn’t often had to step into the playmaking role he was asked to play offensively in Minnesota. Nights like Wednesday are a reminder that Wiggins has those skills, too.
“He’s become more of a defensive stopper for us, somebody we put on the opponent’s best wing player night after night,” coach Steve Kerr said prior to tipoff. “He’s just become a really consistent player for us, a really important one given the size and athleticism that he provides for us.”
Wiggins couldn’t have turned in a more efficient performance in the first half. He connected on all nine of his attempts from the field on his way to 22 points before intermission as the Warriors raced out to a 69-54 advantage.
Karl Anthony Towns, the primary remnant left of Wiggins’ tenure in Minnesota, got an intimate reunion with his former teammate as “Maple Jordan” earned his nickname, outstretching his left arm and soaring over Towns for a posterizing slam dunk and his 19th and 20th points of the half.
Towns is the only holdover from the starting lineup of Wiggins’ final game with Minnesota. Five other players remain on the roster, but the teardown took a little air out of any kind of revenge game, he said.
“I feel like when I had left, a lot of people were gone, too,” Wiggins said beforehand. “So it was like facing a whole new team. … I spent most of my career there, had great moments there. So every time we play each other, it’s fun, it’s competitive. I always look forward to it.”
With Wiggins taking on a starring role, the Warriors rode yet another formula to victory as they improved their NBA-leading record to 10-1, matching their hot start to the 2018-19 season.
With one game remaining on their two-week homestand, the Warriors have won their past six and will seek to finish with seven wins in eight contests Friday against the Chicago Bulls.
Kevon Looney assumed a larger role, particularly after Draymond Green exited midway through the third quarter, defensively against Towns, grabbing a season-high 17 rebounds to lead Golden State’s effort on the glass to go along with 11 points for a double-double.
The Warriors limited Towns, one of the top-scoring big men in the NBA with 23.6 points per game entering Wednesday, to 17 points and 12 rebounds.
But second-year guard Anthony Edwards touched the Warriors for a career-high 47 points on 16-of-27 shooting, including seven buckets from 3. Russell, in his first game back at Chase Center, contributed 18 points and seven assists.
The two players have had different experiences playing against their former teams.
Russell was injured for Minnesota’s two visits to San Francisco last season and scored seven in his only rematch after being traded. Wiggins, meanwhile, upped his scoring average in four games against the Timberwolves to 26 per contest, more than any other opponent of his.
________
