Minneapolis, MN — After a sluggish start in Game 1, the Minnesota Timberwolves responded with fire and focus in Game 2 — and head coach Chris Finch made sure they felt the urgency.
Fueled by a sharp team meeting and a collective chip on their shoulder, the Timberwolves cruised past the Golden State Warriors with a 117-93 win Thursday night, evening their second-round playoff series at 1-1.
Julius Randle led the charge with 24 points and 11 assists, setting the tone early in the absence of Stephen Curry, who sat out with a hamstring strain. That injury could keep the Warriors star sidelined through next week, leaving Golden State scrambling for answers.
“We felt the disappointment from our coach, and it pushed us,” Randle said of the intense film session held the day before.
Anthony Edwards contributed 20 points, bouncing back from a brief injury scare, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker matched that output off the bench, helping Minnesota bury Golden State from long range. The Wolves hit 16 of 37 threes, a massive improvement from their Game 1 showing.
Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid joined Alexander-Walker in a hot-shooting night from the second unit, combining for 10 of the Wolves’ 16 made threes.
“We looked a lot more like the team we know we are,” Finch said postgame.
For Golden State, Jonathan Kuminga (18 points) and Trayce Jackson-Davis (15) were efficient, shooting a combined 14-for-17 from the field. But it wasn’t enough. The Warriors trailed 13-0 before Jimmy Butler finally got them on the board with a 3-pointer nearly five minutes into the game.
With Curry in street clothes, head coach Steve Kerr rotated 14 players in search of a spark. It never came.
“We need to figure out how to survive in this series without Steph,” Kerr admitted. “Some guys stepped up, but we’re still searching.”
The Warriors struggled across the board — particularly from deep — as Buddy Hield and Brandin Podziemski were effectively shut down by Minnesota’s lengthy and physical defense.
The 15-point first quarter marked Golden State’s lowest opening-period output in a playoff game since Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals, when they managed just 11 points in a loss to Cleveland.
Draymond Green, already walking a fine line in the playoffs, was hit with his fifth technical foul of the postseason after elbowing Naz Reid. Two more, and he’ll face an automatic one-game suspension.
Game 3 will shift the series to the Bay Area — and for Golden State, possibly a must-win if Curry remains out.
