San Francisco — With Golden State playing without Steph Curry, Minnesota has a massive talent advantage over the Warriors.
And it used every bit of it to rally past Golden State on Saturday in San Francisco.
After three quarters of uninspiring basketball, in which they were outwitted and outhustled by an undermanned Golden State team, Minnesota mustered up enough good basketball when it needed it, rallying from six down in the final frame to beat the Warriors, 102-97 to claim a 2-1 series lead.
Jimmy Butler was the best player on the floor for most of the evening. But he was tasked with carrying a large load on both ends of the floor for the Warriors, and seemed to run out of gas down the stretch, with a number of looks coming up short.
Golden State struggled to score the moment that became the case.
Golden State’s offense melted into a puddle once Butler’s effectiveness dipped. The Warriors scored just 24 points in the final frame, including 16 when the game was still in the balance, and Minnesota raced past Golden State.
Anthony Edwards struggled mightily in the first half, but found his 3-point shot over the final two quarters, scoring 28 of his 36 points in the second half. Julius Randle was a monster for Minnesota, tallying 24 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. His interior offense often stabilized Minnesota when it needed it most.
And it certainly did need it. Even without Curry, the Warriors can defend at a high level. That was evident in the final 6 minutes, 30 seconds of the second quarter, in which it held Minnesota to just one point. The Warriors led by two at the break.
But Draymond Green was a big part of that defense, and he picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter which sent him to the bench. And collected fouls No. 5 and No. 6 in a 30 second span in the fourth quarter.
Butler finished with 33 points, but went just 1 for 7 in the fourth quarter. Jonathan Kuminga had 30 points off the bench for Golden State.
Game 4 is on Monday in San Francisco.
Related Articles
With Julius Randle, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch presses right buttons
Nickeil Alexander-Walker met Timberwolves’ challenge in Game 2
One fan was ejected for comments made to Draymond Green in Game 2 as Wolves investigation continues
Mizutani: It’s obvious the Timberwolves won’t need their best to win this series
Timberwolves blast Warriors’ bench for Game 2 victory
Leave a Reply