Russell’s 52 point Outburst is Not Enough in Second Straight Loss

D’Angelo Russell had his best game as a Warrior. In the end, it didn’t matter.

In spite of Russell’s career-high 52 points, Andrew Wiggins led five double-digit scorers for the Timberwolves as a few too many Warrior mistakes gave Minnesota a 125-119 overtime win.

We’ll get into what wound up taking the Warriors down in a moment, but it is worth talking about Russell’s performance. In a game in which Alec Burks was the only other Warrior to play a strong all-around game, Russell, who had clearly been itching to come back after missing several games with an injury, stepped up tremendously. He hit 19 of 37 field goal attempts and seven three-pointers, including clutch shot after clutch shot down the stretch. For most of the fourth quarter, he kept the Warriors in the lead, and in overtime, he kept them in the game when it looked as though the Timberwolves could start to pull away. The Warriors tailored the offense to his preferred high pick-and-roll style and he took advantage, showing exactly what he is capable of and why the Warriors decided to add him in the offseason.

After being injured at the start of the season, Burks continued to find his place in the rotation by scoring 18 points on 50% shooting from the field while grabbing nine rebounds as well. But he was the only role player to step up. No one else scored efficiently or shot jumpers well, meaning no one made the Timberwolves pay for focusing all of their attention on Russell. He was forced to try and do everything by himself. He played extremely well, but couldn’t do quite enough against a Timberwolves team with a far more balanced attack.

When the Warriors analyze this game in the film room, the coaching staff will point to rebounding as the big issue time and time again. The Warriors were undersized but also did a consistently poor job boxing out and it showed up in the stat sheet. They allowed 20 offensive rebounds and were outrebounded 59-49 overall. The offensive rebounds allowed for numerous second-chance opportunities for Minnesota, some of which resulted in backbreaking buckets down the stretch. Though the Warriors got Karl-Anthony Towns in foul trouble, they were largely unable to contain him when he was on the floor as he went for 20 points and 14 boards, once again underscoring the lack of size for the Dubs.

Despite that, the Warriors were still in position to win, up by four points with less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation. After a Timberwolves score, the Warriors got tied up as Minnesota forced a jump ball that gave them the ball back. That possession was where the Warriors’ lack of experience showed. With veterans used to those late-game situations on the court, it is far less likely that the Warriors would have panicked and dribbled into trouble. Instead, they lost the jump ball, allowed a game-tying basket, and Russell missed a three to send the game to overtime.

Although the Timberwolves gained the upper hand early in the extra period, Russell made a few shots to prevent the game from getting out of hand. The Warriors trailed by just one with less than a minute to go, but a defensive breakdown on the Timberwolves’ final play led to a wide-open Wiggins three which all but iced the game.

The Warriors should have won this game, and they lost it far more than Minnesota won it. But in spite of that, the Warriors continue to trend in the right direction. The coaching staff appears to have adjusted the offense to benefit Russell’s game, and for at least one game, it worked for him. If the role players can step up within that offense, they will succeed, as will the team as a whole. Furthermore, while the role players struggled, they look like they belong. In past games, they sometimes looked like glorified college players and G-Leaguers who were being outclassed on the court. On Friday night, they looked like NBA players just having a bad game.

The Warriors may not be able to consistently win games in their current state, but they can consistently develop young players and put a competitive product on the floor. Friday night’s game was a step that way.