Scoggins: Golden State, even without Curry, played like a team; the Timberwolves didn’t

Steph Curry walked gingerly off the court during a timeout and went straight to the locker room a few minutes into the second quarter. The Golden State Warriors led the Timberwolves by 10 points at that moment in Game 1.

The final margin of victory Tuesday night at Target Center was 11 points, meaning the Warriors outscored the Wolves by one point without their superstar available the rest of the game.

That should serve as a lesson for what lies ahead in the Western Conference semifinals.

Curry’s Grade 1 strain will cost multiple games and possibly the rest of the series, but it would be foolish to suggest the Warriors are automatically doomed in his absence.

No Curry makes the task easier, but not easy. There’s a distinct difference in those two realities.

As was revealed bluntly in a 99-88 win on Tuesday, the Warriors won’t crater knowing they will be without Curry’s majestic shooting, offensive creativity and gravitational effect on defenses.

The Wolves best steel themselves for a back-alley brawl.

Even with Curry watching from the bench in street clothes, the Warriors are still full of basketball guile and toughness. They’ve owned the NBA’s best defense since acquiring Jimmy Butler in a trade. They dive on the floor for 50-50 balls. They grabbed more offensive rebounds than the Wolves in Game 1 despite a massive disparity in size. Their constant movement on offense demands attentive focus and communication. And Steve Kerr provides coaching excellence.

“They’re a championship team, they’ve got a championship DNA,” forward Julius Randle said. “They’re not going to just give up and quit. They are who they are for a reason. We can’t hurt ourselves, and we feel like we did that [in Game 1].”

Their first half was an abomination. The Wolves played offense as if they were hyperventilating. The Warriors tightened the screws, mixed in some zone and the Wolves became totally discombobulated.

They scored 11 points in the second quarter, missed all 15 three-point attempts in the half and coughed up nine turnovers on top of that.

“Our transition decision-making was diabolical,” coach Chris Finch said. “We couldn’t hit a shot, but I didn’t like the fact that we couldn’t repeatedly generate good shots. We should have been able to.”

The struggles were a reminder that the Wolves are no longer facing the Los Angeles Lakers’ one-ply defense. That first-round series was dictated on the Wolves terms. Luka Doncic should wear a top hat on the court since he plays defense like a hotel doorman.

The Warriors don’t concede an inch on defense, anchored by Butler and Draymond Green’s tenacity.

The Wolves won a series elimination game on the road over Doncic and LeBron James despite missing 40 three-point shots. They shot 5-of-29 on three-pointers and lost at home against a Warriors team that played 2½ quarters without its superstar and had only 48 hours to recover after a hard-fought seven-game series against Houston.

“We respect these guys,” center Rudy Gobert said. “But I think subconsciously there is something where maybe you get a little comfortable. And it’s not supposed to get easier. It’s getting harder.”

Removing the blindfolds when they shoot three-pointers would be a good start. The Wolves ranked Top 5 in the NBA in three-point makes and three-point percentage during the regular season. They shot 12-of-76 combined from the three-point range between Game 5 versus the Lakers and Game 1.

Many of their misses in the first half against the Warriors weren’t particularly close either. They rushed shots and didn’t work to make the extra pass that leads to better opportunities. One would think they won’t continue to misfire so badly and that a hot stretch is coming at some point.

“Just keep shooting,” Anthony Edwards said. “Shoot it with confidence.”

They will have to fight human nature if Curry is unable to play. No, the Warriors obviously are not the same without him, but Butler, Green and Kerr are masters at manipulating game situations.

Game 1 was a prime example. They Wolves were within striking distance when Curry left the game. Then news circulated that Curry’s injury would keep him out for the rest of the game. The Wolves reacted to that opening by falling behind by 20 points going into the fourth quarter.

“Any team with me on it, I think has a chance,” Butler said. “And I know that any team with Steph on it does have a chance.”

The Wolves must treat both scenarios as if they are one and the same.