MINNESOTA Timberwolves made their way back to the Western Conference Finals after capping off the semis round with a 121-110 win over Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night (Thursday in the Philippines) at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Julius Randle led the way with 29 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while Anthony Edwards added 22 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds as the Timberwolves wrapped up the best-of-seven conference semis series at 4-1.
Rudy Gobert added 17 points and eight rebounds, Mike Conley finished with 16 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, while Jaden McDaniels and Donte DiVincenzo contributed 14 and 13 markers, respectively.
Holding to a 30-23 lead after the opening quarter, the Timberwolves started to pull away in the second frame behind baskets from Randle, Gobert, and Edwards for a 62-47 halftime lead.
Minnesota’s lead reached 20 points at 97-77 early in the fourth period, but GSW made its last push to cut the deficit to 90-99 before the Timberwolves pulled away for good with timely baskets from Randle and Edwards.
Brandin Podziemski top-scored with 28 points, Jonathan Kuminga added 26 markers, while Jimmy Butler III, Moses Moody, and Draymond Green had 17, 12, and 10 markers, respectively, for the Warriors.
Meanwhile, Boston Celtics battled back from Jayson Tatum’s shattering Achilles injury to defeat New York Knicks in Game 5, 127-102, and keep their NBA playoff campaign alive at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
After a tight first half which saw the two teams tied 59-59 at the break, the contest swung decisively in Boston’s favour in a third-quarter scoring spree, led by the hot shooting of Derrick White.
The Celtics stretched that lead to 23 points with just under eight minutes left in the fourth quarter and they maintained a hefty double-digit advantage for the remainder of the final frame.
White finished with 34 points Jaylen Brown chipped in with 26 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists, while Payton Pritchard, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet tallied 17, 14, 12, and 10 points, respectively./PN
BOX SCORE:
MINNESOTA 121 — Randle 29, Edwards 22, Gobert 17, Conley 16, McDaniels 14, DiVincenzo 13, Reid 8, Alexander-Walker 2.
GOLDEN STATE 110 — Podziemski 28, Kuminga 26, Butler 17, Moody 12, Green 10, Hield 8, Post 3, Jackson-Davis 2, Spencer 2, Santos 2, Payton 0, Looney 0.
Quarterscores: 30-23, 62-47, 93-72, 121-110.
