MINNESOTA Timberwolves took advantage of the absence of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry to score a 117-93 victory in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals on Thursday night (Friday in the Philippines) at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Julius Randle had a near triple-double of 24 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds while Anthony Edwards finished with 20 points and nine rebounds as the Timberwolves leveled the best-of-seven series at 1-1.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker contributed 20 points off the bench, including four three-pointers, while Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid chipped in 16 and 11 markers, respectively, for the Timberwolves.
With the Golden State playing without Curry due to a hamstring injury, Minnesota set the tone early in the first quarter, racing into a hefty 25-7 lead that left the Warriors chasing the game.
The Timberwolves were given a scare in the second quarter when Edwards limped off with an ankle problem, but the Timberwolves managed to maintain a commanding 56-39 lead at the half.
The Warriors were on fire to start the third quarter as they managed to cut the deficit to 55-62, but the Timberwolves responded with connections from Edwards, Randle, and McDaniels to stretch the lead to 20 points.
Edwards said in a post-game interview that an improved defensive effort led to the Timberwolves lopsided win after a dismal offensive display in their Game 1 defeat to the Warriors.
“We watched film yesterday and we saw it wasn’t just that we didn’t make our shots — it was more so our defensive effort and intensity. We didn’t bring it,” Edwards said. “So we knew we had to bring it today.”
Jonathan Kuminga led the Warriors with 18 points from the bench, Jimmy Butler finished with 17, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Buddy Hield ended with 15 apiece, and Brandin Podziemski tallied 11 markers./PN
BOX SCORE:
MINNESOTA 117 — Randle 24, A. Edwards 20, Alexander-Walker 20, McDaniels 16, Reid 11, DiVincenzo 9, Conley 6, Gobert 5, Minott 2, Shannon 2, Miller 2, Clark 0, Garza 0.
GOLDEN STATE 93 — Kuminga 18, Butler 17, Jackson-Davis 15, Hield 15, Podziemski 11, Green 9, Moody 3, Knox 3, Key 2, Post 0, Payton 0, Spencer 0, Looney 0, Santos 0.
Quarterscores: 29-15, 56-39, 85-65, 117-93.
