MINNEAPOLIS – In a postseason stuffed with stunning second-round outcomes, Golden State pulled off maybe the most important stunner of all of them on Tuesday night time in Minneapolis.
Even with the face of the franchise misplaced for the sport within the second quarter, the Warriors used veteran guile and shocking contributions from sudden locations to have put the Wolves on the ropes to begin the fourth quarter at Goal Heart.
Regardless of a spirited comeback by Minnesota, the Steph Curry-less Warriors held on for the 99-88 victory.
In his return to the group he leftunder acrimonious circumstances, Jimmy Butler III scored 20 as he was boo’ed each time he touched the ball. Kevon Looney got here off the bench and grabbed two offensive rebounds within the fourth quarter, and Buddy Hield scored 18. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 23 factors.
Curry was injured with round 9 minutes left within the second quarter, straining his left hamstring on a closeout earlier than grabbing a defensive rebound.
Though Curry made a floater on the subsequent possession, his leg was clearly bothering him, and Kerr subbed the famous person out with 8:19 left within the second quarter.
Later within the quarter, Curry was dominated out for the sport with a left hamstring pressure after scoring 13 factors in the identical quantity of minutes.
Even with out Curry, the Warriors used an unbelievable defensive effort by Draymond Inexperienced and well timed shotmaking from the function gamers to take an 80-60 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Wolves used a 16-5 run to chop the deficit to simply 9 with six minutes left within the fourth, however a 3-pointer by Hield and a Butler mid-range runner pushed the Warriors benefit again to 90-76 with 5:18 to go within the recreation.
Edwards’ and-1 layup minimize the lead again to 9 factors with three and a half minutes left, however Hield and Gary Payton II every made 3-pointers to maintain the Wolves at bay and supply the Warriors a 12-point lead with 2:11 remaining.
It was a powerful ending to a recreation managed by the Warriors.
The Warriors led by 13 at halftime and expanded it to 55-35 three minutes into the third quarter due to a flurry of factors, together with back-to-back triples by Sport 7 hero and generally class clown Hield.
The Wolves offense had been so abysmal that when Naz Reid made the Wolves’ first 3-pointer after lacking their preliminary 16 makes an attempt – together with a historically-bad 0 for 15 within the first half – the Goal Heart crowd gave the group a roaring ovation.
The Wolves offense awoke after that make, however even sans Curry, Golden State’s assault continued to roll.
Reserve guard Pat Spencer gave the group a activate the bench, making a operating hook shot, nabbing a number of steals and even stealing an offensive board because the Warriors prolonged the result in 76-53 with 2:23 left within the third quarter.
Just like the Rockets group that performed a number of huge males and crashed the offensive glass with aplomb, the Wolves had a serious top benefit across the rim.
The Warriors attacked the Wolves’ drop protection with Rudy Gobert by peppering Minnesota with 3-pointers, and capturing floaters. Draymond Inexperienced set the tone on the primary possession when he went proper on the Frenchman and floated in a teardrop.
The offense was tough within the first quarter although, with the Warriors capturing simply 7 for 22 as Minnesota held a 20-18 regardless of Edwards lacking all six of his pictures within the opening 12 minutes.
The Warriors answered with a 15-0 run to begin the second quarter, one marred by Curry’s hamstring harm.
Because of Inexperienced’s scorching capturing – 4 of 6 for the ahead and 9 of 20 as a group from 3-point vary within the first half – and continued robust protection on Anthony Edwards, the Warriors led 44-31 at halftime.
Edwards scored just one level within the first half, going 0 for 8 from the sphere in 20 minutes.
These 31 factors allowed by Golden State was the fewest a Warriors opponent had scored within the postseason because the inception of the shot clock in 1954.
That stellar defensive half set the tone for a powerful Golden State win.
The Warriors will play Sport 2 on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
Initially Printed: Could 6, 2025 at 9:15 PM PDT
