Julius Randle scored 24 points and 11 assists, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves through another uneven performance. This time they concluded their second playoff series in one game, with Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry in the absence of Thursday in a 117-93 victory.
Anthony Edwards finished with 20 points after being scared of a wolf injury. The wolves more than tripled their 3-point output (to 16 at 37) from Game 1 loss when Curry was sidelined by left hamstring tension, which is likely to keep him out until at least next week.
Edwards injured his ankle in a layup attempt midway through the second quarter and quickly finished the game. He stayed until the end of the second quarter, but returned at the start of the third quarter, finishing with 20 points and nine rebounds.
With the NBA career-leading 3-point shooter sitting next to him on the bench, coach Steve Kerr used a kitchen sink strategy to get 14 players to get time, including a dozen bakers in the first 14 minutes.
Jonathan Cuminga (18 points) and Trace Jackson Davis (15 points) combined to shoot 14 at 17 from the floor, which took nearly five minutes to score before Jimmy Butler’s three-pointer stopped the Wolves’ 13-0 run to start the game.
Kuminga, the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft, which occasionally dropped out of rotation during the regular season, was a bright spot off the bench. However, the Warriors team was already thinning out on attack with healthy curry.
Wolves and their athleticism, they didn’t rely much on long, versatile defenses. Without the curry to worry, the wolves spent time quieting Shooters Buddy Heald and Brandin Posiemski to check out the smooth, savvy-savvy-duty butlers.
According to Sportradar, the Warriors have increased their lowest first quarter score (15) in the playoffs since Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
Draymond Green picked up the fifth technical foul of two playoffs in the automatic one-game suspension to elbow after Reid fouled him. Green was hot about Cole and continued screaming at the official Tony brothers during the timeout where he was at risk of getting a second one. Curry was worried enough about his companion being kicked out.
Report by Associated Press.
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