November 11, 2014 is a day worth pointing out. It’s the only November day since 2014 that the Golden State Warriors have lost at home.
Golden State’s record in November since 2014: 46-3. At home: 22-1.
The lone stumble at Oracle Arena came at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs. The other 22 home games in November were unblemished – 17 of them by blowout margins.
- 17 of the 22 were by at least 10 points.
- 11 of the 22 were by at least 15 points.
- 8 of the 22 were by at least 20 points.
- 3 of the 22 were by at least 30 points.
- 2 of the 22 were by at least 40 points.
- 1 of the 22 was by 50 points.
It should come as no surprise that the Warriors (8-3) are heavy 11-point favorites at home against the Timberwolves (7-3) tonight (9:30 p.m.).
Minnesota has played at Golden State five times since the beginning of the 2014-15 season and they’ve left with a victory just once: a 124-117 overtime thriller on Apr. 5, 2016. The other four went the way of the Warriors.
- Apr. 4, 2017: 121-107
- Nov. 26, 2016: 115-102
- Apr. 11, 2015: 110-101
- Dec. 27, 2014: 110-97
Obviously, being dominant at home is more than a November thing for these guys. They went 39-2 in 2014-15, 39-2 in 2015-16 and 36-5 last season.
This season, they’re 3-2 at home, faltering against the Rockets and Pistons and barely beating the Wizards and Raptors.
Projected starting lineups:
Golden State is again humming along at the No. 1 offense in the NBA, averaging 118.5 points. The No. 2 scoring team is Brooklyn at 111.9 points per game. The Wolves are sixth at 109.4.
Defensively, the Wolves are 25th (109.8 per game allowed) while the Warriors have been No. 1 in defensive efficiency over their last four games, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Nearly every variable favors the Warriors tonight, thus making it an even bigger opportunity for Minnesota to make a very large statement.
