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MINNEAPOLIS — As thousands of people marched shoulder to shoulder through the streets of downtown Minneapolis Sunday afternoon, demanding that the federal immigration crackdown in their city end, Steve Kerr did not want to discuss basketball before the Warriors’ 111-85 victory over the Timberwolves.
A little over 24 hours after a federal immigration agent shot and killed Alex Pretti amid protests a few miles away from Target Center, causing the postponement of Saturday’s game between the visiting Warriors and the Wolves, the longtime Golden State coach gave his first public statements on the situation.
“I love the city of Minneapolis, and people here are wonderful. And it’s very sad, what’s happening, and I feel for the city,” Kerr said. “There’s a pall that has been cast over the city. You can feel it, and a lot of people are suffering. Obviously, loss of life is the No. 1 concern. Those families will never get their family members back. And you know, when all the unrest settles down, whenever that is, those family members won’t be returning home, and that’s devastating.”
Kerr said Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy alerted him Saturday morning that the league was considering postponing the game.
He also received calls from both Wolves coach Chris Finch and veteran forward Joe Ingles, who let Kerr know that the Wolves players were “feeling really uneasy” about the situation.
“I told Chris and Joe, ‘We trust you guys. We trust the league, whatever makes the most sense,’” Kerr said. “So ultimately, obviously, the game was postponed. I totally agree with the decision. Everything should be about safety and concern for not only the players and the fans, but everybody here in Minneapolis with what’s going on.”
Ultimately, the NBA postponed the game just under three hours before tipoff. Kerr’s teams have previously gone through sudden postponements.
The Warriors coach was just a rookie on the Phoenix Suns when his team had its game cancelled in Miami during the riots of 1989. Over three decades later, the Warriors’ games against the Jazz and Mavericks were postponed after the sudden death of Golden State assistant coach Dejan Milojević.
The Warriors arrived in Minneapolis on Friday afternoon and watched as tens of thousands of people marched down the streets to protest the protracted presence of federal immigration officers in the city.
Though protests did not break out near the arena on Saturday, they were in full force a few hours before tipoff on Sunday afternoon. Hundreds held signs expressing displeasure at Immigration and Customs Enforcement being in the city, and chants rang through the crowded streets.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters on Saturday that a 37-year-old man was killed on Saturday morning but did not identify him, citing limited information about what led up to the shooting. The man was identified by his parents as Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse.
The protests continued inside the arena.
During a moment of silence held in honor of Pretti, several fans could be heard yelling “(expletive) ICE,” although no physical signs or written messages in opposition to immigration personnel were seen in the lower bowl.
During a break in the action with about five minutes left in the first half, chants of “ICE out” were heard while De’Anthony Melton was shooting free throws. In the third quarter, several members of the Target Center’s dunk crew entertainment team were seen wearing “ICE OUT” shirts.
When the game was being played, neither team was very sharp. The Timberwolves, understandably, appeared to lack focus during the first half, turning the ball over 16 times in the first 24 minutes.
The Warriors led 47-46 at halftime as both sides seemed to just go through the motions, and Golden State pulled away in the third quarter after outscoring the home team 38-17. The Warriors (26-21) snapped a two-game skid, which was the same number of games the team had played without Jimmy Butler, who was lost for the season on Monday with a torn ACL.
Steph Curry scored 26 points, passing John Havlicek and tying with another Celtic great, Paul Pierce (26,397), for 19th on the all-time scoring list.
Teammate Moses Moody scored 19, while Brandin Podziemski put in 12 points. Anthony Edwards poured in 30 points for the Timberwolves, while former Warrior Donte DiVincenzo scored 22.
The teams will play again here on Monday at 6:30 PT.
Thousands had taken to the Minneapolis streets on Friday to protest the continued heavy presence of federal agents in the state capital. On Jan. 7, Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by a federal officer while inside her car during a protest.
Kerr decried the death of Good when it occurred several weeks ago, blasting the federal government during an impassioned monologue.
But on Sunday, Kerr struck a message of unity, asking his fellow Americans to respect one another.
“It’s hard to decipher what’s real and what’s not, what’s true and what’s not true,” Kerr said. “People arguing over the exact same video and saying, ‘This happened. No, that happened.’ It is a confusing time to be alive and to be an American, and so what I would appeal to everyone is to remember what our constitution stands for, what our values are, and what that means to how we treat each other and our fellow citizens.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Joseph Dycus
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