PREVIEW: Warriors (23-5) Look To Break Losing Streak vs Minnesota Timberwolves (5-23)

Minnesota Timberwolves (5-23) at Golden State Warriors (23-5)

Tip-off: Thursday, December 27th, 2014 – 7:30 P.M. PST

Location: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA

TV: CSN Bay Area | Radio: KNBR 680 AM

Livetweet: @LetsGoWarriors #LetsGoWarriorsLive

Projected Starting Lineups:

Warriors

PG: Stephen Curry (23.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 7.7 APG)

SG: Klay Thompson (21.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.3 APG)

SF: Harrison Barnes (10.9 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.4 APG)

PF: Draymond Green (12.4 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 3.3 APG)

C: Marreese Speights (11.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 0.8 APG)

Head Coach: Steve Kerr (23-5, .821)

Timberwolves

PG: Zach LaVine (8.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 3.5 APG)

SG: Andrew Wiggins (12.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.4 APG)

SF: Shabazz Muhammad (13.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.0 APG)

PF: Thaddeus Young (14.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.2 APG)

C: Gorgui Dieng (9.4 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.0 APG)

Head Coach: Flip Saunders (643-549, .539)

Last Times Out

LAST WARRIORS GAME PLAYED: On Wednesday, 12/25/2014, the Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Clippers, 100-86, Golden State’s second straight loss after winning sixteen straight.

LAST TIMBERWOLVES GAME PLAYED: On Friday, 12/26/2014, Minnesota was defeated by Denver, 106-102.

LAST WARRIORS-TIMBERWOLVES MATCHUP: On 12/8/2014, Golden State was victorious at Minnesota, 102-86, as both Curry and Thompson scored 21 points each.

LAST WARRIORS-TIMBERWOLVES GAME AT ORACLE: Curry tallied 32-and-15 in a 130-120 comeback win against Minnesota.

Game Notes

• “Warriors are 23-5. T’Wolves are 5-23. No coincidence Warriors are 18-point favorites tonight.” — Antonio Gonzalez, AP

• “Warriors have beaten #Timberwolves in 9 of last 10 meetings and 15 of the last 18 dating back to 2009-10.” — Warriors PR

• “Warriors have won 8 straight home games, their longest home streak since 1994 (10 games in a row).” — Warriors PR

• “Warriors have played fewest home games (11) of any #NBA team thus far and tied for most road games (17).” — Warriors PR

• “MRI on #Warriors C Festus Ezeli confirmed sprained left ankle. He’ll wear a boot for three days and be re-evaluated.” — Jimmy Durkin, Bay Area News Group (12/26/2014 3:34PM)

• “Kerr jokes about moving up David Lee‘s minutes restrictions: “a very secretive scientific formula that I will not reveal.” — LetsGoWarriors from pre-game press conference

• “‘The way we played (Thursday) night is cause for concern and crisis,’ Kerr said, ‘but the other thing we talk about a little bit is, ‘Here we are, angry about last night, not happy about the way we’ve played, and we’re 23-5 with the best record in the league.’ So that means a lot.’

  The first-year coach seemed to agree with Draymond Green’s assessment that the Warriors played ‘too nice’ in the 100-86 loss to the Clippers.” — Durkin

• “The Warriors currently lead the Trail Blazers by a half-game in the Western Conference standings. The Rockets are two games back, the Grizzlies two and a half. The Warriors still lead the sixth-place Clippers by four and a half games, but also have fresh memories of losing to them.

  ‘We have to keep our edge,’ Curry said. ‘We have to play hungry. We have to be aggressive and always be on the attack and constantly finding little ways to get better as we go through this process.'” — Monte Poole, CSN Bay Area

• “Warriors center Andrew Bogut (right knee) is on the post-practice court, taking flat-footed shots.” — Rusty Simmons, San Francisco Chronicle (12/26/2014 2:55PM)

• “Good news out of Warriors practice: Bogut’s 12-footer was money” — Marcus Thompson, Bay Area News Group (12/26/2014 3:23PM)