Steinmetz's Instant Replay: Warriors hold off T'Wolves

BOX SCORE

Warriors 106, Timberwolves 98Player of the game: Warriors rookie forward Harrison Barnes had 18 points and nine rebounds, nice numbers indeed. Barnes also converted a big-time drive with 1:45 remaining in the game to give the Warriors a 100-902 lead.Key stretch: Alexey Shved and Luke Ridnour knocked home back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the third quarter to pull the Timberwolves to within 65-60.But Golden State finished the quarter on a 17-9 run to close out the period up 82-69, giving it control of the game.The Timberwolves would make a fourth-quarter run but get no closer than 92-89 inside of four minutes.
Second effort: The Warriors seemed to be headed toward trouble midway through the second quarter, getting down 44-32. But Golden State -- behind Carl Landry and David Lee -- finished the half on a 21-6 run to head into intermission up 53-50.Inside trouble: Its no secret the Warriors sometimes struggle with athleticism on the interior, and that was the case early on Friday night.Derrick Williams, who entered the game shooting 32.4 percent from the field, got off early and put Lee on the defensive. Williams had 13 first-quarter points, going 4-for-6 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the foul line. In the process, Williams sent Lee to the bench with two fouls just seven minutes into to the game.Thompson ill: Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson had an other poor shooting night -- going 5-for-14 from the floor, including 1-for-6 from 3-point range -- but he might have had an excuse.Thompson was unavailable for much of the second half, with the Warriors saying he was ill.Injuries galore: To say that these were two teams that werent exactly at full strength would be a understatement. Though the Timberwolves injuries make Golden State look healthy.The Timberwolves played without four starters -- Ricky Rubio, Brandon Roy, Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic -- and two substitutes -- J.J. Barea and Chase Budinger.The Warriors were without Andrew Bogut and Brandon Rush.