STEPHEN CURRY poured in 17 of his game-high 34 points in the third quarter Saturday night as the Golden State Warriors broke open a close game en route to a 115-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

    In a game pitting two teams that also played the night before, the Warriors held the Timberwolves to a total of 40 points in the middle two periods, erasing an early deficit and paving the way to an 11th consecutive victory.

    The Golden State win came without Draymond Green, who sprained his left ankle in Friday’s road win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Minnesota, which won at Phoenix on Friday night, clung within 80-71 with 2:30 remaining in the third period before Curry single-handedly outscored the visitors 10-2 to end the quarter, propelling Golden State into a commanding, 90-73 lead.

    Curry hit four consecutive shots during the flurry, including a pair of 3-pointers. The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player had four 3-pointers in all during his 34-point performance and sixth 30-point game of the season. Curry also led the Warriors with six assists on a night when they totaled 25 and thus had their streak of 10 straight with at least 30 snapped. The run had equaled the second-longest in NBA history.

    Kevin Durant had 28 points and Klay Thompson 23 for the Warriors, who haven’t lost since Nov. 4 against the Lakers. They combined for seven 3-pointers, with Thompson connecting on four. Durant completed a double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds.

    Golden State hit 55.6 percent of its shots, including half its 22 3-point attempts. Zach LaVine had 31 points to pace the Timberwolves, who have lost four of the last five. He connected on five 3-pointers and 13 of his 24 shots in all. Karl-Anthony Towns (18), Andrew Wiggins (16) and Gorgui Dieng (15) also scored in double figures for the Timberwolves, who shot 46.1 percent from the field but misfired on 25 of their 35 3-point attempts.

    Towns contributed a team-high nine rebounds, and Ricky Rubio had a game-high seven assists. After watching the Warriors scorch the nets for 19 points in the first 4:32, the Timberwolves flipped a 19-9 deficit into a 36-30 lead early in the second quarter by limiting Golden State to 11 points over an 11:47 span bridging the first and second periods.

    (SD-Agencies)