Curry’s hot hand leads Warriors in victory in second preseason game.

The Warriors came out firing in their second preseason game, ultimately finishing with a 143-123 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night at Chase Center. Stephen Curry had the hot hand all evening and finished with 40 points in 25 minutes of play while teammate D’Angelo Russell also added 16 points with five assists and two blocks.

In the Dubs’ preseason opener on Friday night, the Warriors started slow. In this game, Curry made certain that wouldn’t happen again. The two-time NBA MVP had it going early, scoring 17 points in the opening quarter on two-of-three from beyond the arc.

He was not the only Warrior to bring the energy early either, as the first quarter was filled with fireworks. The Dubs scored their first baskets of the night on back-to-back lobs: the first from Russell who found Marquese Chriss running through the paint from the foul line, followed by a Curry in-transition-lob to a sprinting Glenn Robinson III. Green would later find Robinson III on another transition play, connecting with a behind-the-back pass allowing Robinson III to lay it up and in.

Fluidity on offense and four steals on the defensive end allowed the squad to finish the first quarter on a 21-9 run.

The momentum was kept-up in the second quarter as a full team effort led to another 11-0 run for the Dubs. Down 51-47 in second quarter, Draymond Green sank two free throws to bring the team within two points of Minnesota. The Splash Party then began as Damion Lee, Green, and Jordan Poole sank back-to-back-to-back three-pointers. Though the Dubs were in a groove, the Timberwolves would not let the Dubs out of their sight, never letting the team go up by more than seven points through the first half of the game.

But then came the third quarter, with Curry and Russell along with it.

The Dubs’ backcourt tandem went petal-to-the-metal after halftime and scored a combined 24 points in the third quarter. Russell’s eight points in the third came in the first three-plus minutes of the quarter, and Curry ended his night with 16 points in the frame to cap-off his 40-point performance.

The output would be enough to keep Minnesota at a distance the rest of the game and secure the Dubs their first preseason win of camp.

Poole, the Dubs’ first round draft pick, continued his strong preseason campaign with 19 points (12 in the fourth quarter) to lead the bench in scoring, with fellow rookie Eric Paschall adding 11 as well. Robinson III, who drew the start at small forward, added 13 points and five rebounds. Chriss had an all-around efficient outing: in 25 minutes, the new Dub posted eight points (3-of-6 shooting) with a team-high 11 rebounds, four assists, a steal and two blocks.