Minnesota Timberwolves Level NBA Western Conference Semi-Final with Dominant Win
The Minnesota Timberwolves produced a commanding performance to defeat the Golden State Warriors 117-93, levelling their NBA Western Conference semi-final series at 1-1. The Timberwolves were led by Julius Randle, who scored 24 points and provided 11 assists in Minneapolis, while Anthony Edwards added 20 points and nine rebounds.
According to Edwards, the Timberwolves watched footage of game one to help them prepare for the second match in the best-of-seven series. "We saw that it wasn’t just that we didn’t make shots, it was our defensive pressure and intensity; we didn’t bring it," he said, as reported by the BBC. The Timberwolves’ coach, Chris Finch, was pleased with his team’s response, stating, "The start was great, that’s what we needed to set the tone. We were pretty consistent with everything other than the beginning of the second half. Other than that, it was exactly the response that we needed."
The Timberwolves started the game strongly, going on a 25-7 run, but the Warriors closed the gap to 62-55 in the third quarter. Despite this, the Timberwolves maintained their composure, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker scoring 20 points from the bench. Jonathan Kuminga led the Warriors’ scoring with 18 points, while Jordan Poole tallied 17. The Warriors were without Stephen Curry, who injured his left hamstring in game one and is expected to miss at least a week.
The Timberwolves suffered an injury scare when Edwards limped off the court in the second quarter with a left ankle issue, but he returned to start the second half. The team’s performance was a significant improvement from their first game, with Finch praising his team’s defensive pressure and intensity. "We looked a lot more like ourselves," he said.
The win is a significant boost for the Timberwolves, who are looking to progress to the next round of the playoffs. The team’s strategy of watching footage of their previous game and making adjustments paid off, as they dominated the Warriors in all areas. As the series moves to Golden State for game three, the Timberwolves will be looking to build on this impressive performance.
The Warriors, on the other hand, will be looking to regroup and find a way to contain the Timberwolves’ key players, including Randle and Edwards. With Curry sidelined, they will need to find alternative sources of scoring and defensive pressure to compete with the Timberwolves. As the series continues, it remains to be seen how the Warriors will respond to this setback.
The BBC understands that this was a closely contested series and will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.
