What we learned as Steph scores 23 points in blowout loss to the Timberwolves originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen Curry scored 23 points in his return to Golden State’s lineup, but the Warriors couldn’t find a reliable second scoring option and lost 107-90 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night at Chase Center.

Curry, who missed Thursday’s game against the Houston Rockets because of lingering bilateral knee soreness, shot 6 of 17 (3 of 9 from behind the arc), made all eight free throws and had four assists in 32 minutes.

Jonathan Kuminga had 13 points and two rebounds in one night as he paced the Rockets and matched his career high with 33 points.

Andrew Wiggins scored 11 points before leaving the game with ankle soreness. Draymond Green, who did not play in the last two games, was reinstated and collected 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists while coming off the bench for the first time this season.

Moses Moody also left the game with a left knee injury and did not return.

Golden State (13-9) has lost five straight games and six of its last seven games against Minnesota (12-10).

The Warriors started well, struggled mightily in the second quarter and seemed poised for a big run in the third quarter until a foul call changed the momentum. After Gary Payton II appeared to score and was fouled – a possible three-point play that would have cut the deficit to 75-69 – the referees reviewed the play and changed the decision to an offensive foul on Payton.

The Warriors made another surge in the fourth quarter, pulling to 80-77 on Curry’s 3-pointer with 10:38 left before the Wolves pulled away for good.

The teams will play each other again on Sunday at Chase Center.

Here are the takeaways from Friday’s game:

DRaymond does it from the bench

Playing in a reserve role for the first time since returning from an NBA suspension last season, Green didn’t miss a beat and whipped up his usual basketball gumbo.

In the first quarter alone, the four-time All-Star collected eight points, four rebounds and one assist in six and a half minutes.

It wasn’t all flowers and balloons though. After absorbing a hard hit and falling to the field, Green stood up and yelled at an official because he believed a foul should have been called. Instead, the referees hit Green with a technical foul – Green’s seventh foul of the season.

Tterrible twos

The Warriors came out strong, scoring 31 points in the first quarter, but then hit a wall in the second quarter when they were down to 15 points.

Golden State’s offense had no rhythm or flow, allowing Minnesota to pull away and build a double-digit lead. The Warriors shot terribly (5 of 19 overall, 1 of 9 on 3-pointers), had four turnovers, scored just four points in the first 9 minutes of the period and fell behind by 19 points.

It was easily one of the worst quarters of the season for the Warriors and would have been even worse if they hadn’t gone on a bit of a run in the final minutes.

Buddy’s bucket doesn’t fall

Buddy Hield was a scorer early in the season, averaging 16.9 points and shooting 49.1 percent in the Warriors’ first 13 games.

Since then, Hield has shot many blanks.

In his last eight games, Hield’s shooting percentage had dropped to 34.2 percent. He was just 1 of 8 from the floor against the Houston Rockets on Thursday, then hit 2 of 4 shots against the Wolves.

Coach Steve Kerr didn’t seem too concerned, saying before the game that it was just the normal ups and downs of a season.

Despite all this, Hield is still approaching a milestone. The sniper needs eight more 3s to become 17th^Th Player in NBA history to have 2,000 for his career.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast