- - Warriors' Steve Kerr talks 'bizarre, sad' win over Timberwolves after latest ICE fatal shooting: 'Their group was suffering'

Ryan YoungJanuary 26, 2026 at 6:31 AM

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The mood inside the Target Center was, understandably, off on Sunday afternoon.

While the Golden State Warriors did roll to a near-30-point blowout over the Minnesota Timberwolves, it wasn’t the game that threw the vibes off. It was everything else going on just outside of the arena doors on the streets of Minneapolis that did it.

That, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said after the Warriors' 111-85 win, was very apparent.

“Honestly what I felt was that their group was suffering,” Kerr said, via ESPN’s Anthony Slater. “I thought the vibe in the stands, it was one of the most bizarre, sad games I’ve ever been a part of. You could feel the somber atmosphere. Their team, we could tell, they were struggling with everything that’s been going on and what the city has been through.

“It was very sad. It was a sad night.”

Steve Kerr called the arena atmosphere in Minneapolis today one of the most “bizarre, sad” vibes he’s experienced at a gameWarriors blew out the Timberwolves. “Honestly what I felt was that their group was suffering.” pic.twitter.com/K1EsR6Fr8j

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 26, 2026

Sunday’s game was initially supposed to be held on Saturday, but the league quickly pushed it 24 hours in the wake of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Veterans Affairs nurse Alex Pretti by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. That came just weeks after an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good elsewhere in the city. Those shootings, as well as larger ICE operations and activity throughout the Twin Cities region, have sparked massive protests and demonstrations.

Plenty in the sports world have spoken out, including several Minnesota sports teams and the National Basketball Players Association. New York Liberty star and Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart held an “Abolish ICE” sign before her game on Sunday. Former Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton both posted about it on social media.

After seeing the situation unfold, both Kerr and Timberwolves coach Chris Finch were in agreement. Playing basketball on Saturday, Finch said, “just didn’t feel like the right thing to do.”

Here is Chris Finch's opening statement prior to his pregame media availability on the shooting in Minneapolis on Saturday."For the second time in less than three weeks, we've lost another member of our community in the most unimaginable way." pic.twitter.com/mWRhBchC3W

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) January 25, 2026

“For the second time in less than three weeks, we’ve lost another beloved member of our community in the most unimaginable way,” an emotional Finch said before the game.

“As an organization, we are heartbroken for what we are having to witness and endure and watch. We just want to extend our thoughts, prayers and concern for Mr. Pretti’s family, all the loved ones and everyone involved in such an unconscionable situation in a community that we really love, full of people who are, by nature, peaceful and prideful. We just stand in support of our great community here.”

Warriors star Stephen Curry said he was “glued” to the TV on Friday and Saturday when they weren’t playing or practicing. He also said he has videos on his phone that he took of protesters who were walking through the streets on Friday outside of their hotel in sub-zero temperatures.

“The protests that were going on downtown, it was amazing to watch the turnout,” Curry said. “The peaceful protests and unified voice that was here, you feel like that would kind of turn the tide to a more positive direction. Then you wake up in the morning and you see what happened … There's a lot of change that needs to happen, and when you’re here, you feel it.”

The Timberwolves held a moment of silence for Pretti before the game on Sunday. Several in the crowd shouted out “F*** ICE” during the moment.

Moment of silence held for Alex Pretti before today’s game. pic.twitter.com/qzbAVlFxVh

— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) January 25, 2026

While there were protests outside of the Target Center again on Sunday, the game went off as planned without any issues.

“It’s very difficult to see so many people struggling and sad,” Kerr said. “They came to the game to try to forget about stuff, I guess, but I don’t think anything went away for the city and for their team. I think they were suffering from the effects of everything.”

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Sports”