After scoring just 40 points in a putrid first half of basketball, the Timberwolves recovered to score 62 second-half points en route to a Game 3 victory.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have both an opportunity and a challenge in front of them. On one hand, the Golden State Warriors are without superstar Stephen Curry, making them a considerably worse team. On the other hand, with rumors coming out that Curry could potentially return by game six, Golden State is hanging on to that rugged belief that if they can just hold on long enough, their hero will arrive in the nick of time to save them.
After a pretty one-sided game one for the Warriors and a returned favor in game two, game three was sure to be vital in establishing this series. For Minnesota to avoid Curry, they would have to complete four straight wins after a stunning game one defeat.
After being blown out, the Warriors made the first chess move, inserting Trayce Jackson-Davis into the starting lineup. The second-year center was giving Rudy Gobert troubles in short spurts, and Golden State was chasing anything to give them an edge.
After tip-off, the first half started off well. The Wolves built up double-digit wins piece by piece two times over, but they gave them up to extended runs by the Warriors, where Minnesota was completely incapable of scoring.
It’s a trend that has continued throughout the playoffs. As good as the Wolves are, they are not immune to a poorly timed shooting slump or embarrassing lack of effort.
So, as the second half crept on, the Warriors had a two-point lead despite having missed every single one of their 3-pointers. When the backcourt of Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield promptly made a three each, and the Warriors extended their lead to the raucous cheers of the Chase Center crowd, it seemed like game three might just be over.
And yet, the Wolves stuck around. A team that was buoyed by Julius Randle and Naz Reid in the first half did its own waiting game as they anticipated one admittedly hobbled man.
That man was Anthony Edwards.
And he finally showed up.
ANTHONY EDWARDS JUST TOUCHED THE HEAVENS pic.twitter.com/SwIvUt3LLo
— ESPN (@espn) May 11, 2025
After starting 0/9 from three, with less than ten points before the break, Ant finished the game with 36 points. While Ant’s 28-point second half was certainly the deciding factor, it was by no means the only one. Julius Randle had an absolute masterclass and a triple-double.
This is a team that has been galvanized and continues to survive terrible performances all up and down the roster. When Ant struggled, it was Randle and Naz carrying the load. When Donte Divincenzo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker continued to fall apart under the brightest lights, the steady play of Jaden McDaniels controlled the wings.
While the Warriors got excellent performances from Jimmy Butler and the recently returned Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green fouled out with two points.
It’s easy to look at Green’s performance as an abject zero, but it was only during his foul trouble that Anthony Edwards could get going. Warriors fans will blame the third foul on Draymond, which looked to be a charge on Julius Randle instead, but the honest truth is this: Draymond Green had at least five fouls. As important as that singular foul was, you cannot act like Green wasn’t always going to be in foul trouble.
With all of that being said, let’s get into some of the details of the Wolves’ adrenaline-inducing game three win.
Key Takeaways
Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
Kuminga is chasing his next contract
Jonathan Kuminga had an incredible game after being banished to the shadow realm to end the season. While the former G-League Ignite forward was replaced by Quinten Post, there was always going to be a need for shot creation when Curry went down with injury.
It was easy to expect that he would get a look, despite the problems he showed as a consistent rotation player. There were constant mistakes on defense, disappearing effort, and a general insistence that he was the best player on the court.
That was until tonight. Shockingly, Kuminga’s shot-making wasn’t the best part of his game tonight. Instead, it was his on-ball defense that stood out. This version of Kuminga, a bought-in super athlete, is worth the contract the soon-to-be free agent has coveted. He could be making himself a few extra million dollars over the next couple of weeks.
Kuminga at the POA is a significant shift, keeps him engaged defensively and reduces the off-ball mistakes
— Charlie Cummings (@klaytheist11) May 11, 2025
It may be time to hit the panic button
It is not hyperbolic to say that Donte DiVincenzo has been bad in the playoffs. While last year’s run with the New York Knicks had people questioning if he had the best contract in the league, this year’s postseason has seen Donte’s primary use as a decoy.
Even excluding tonight’s two-point stinker, through seven playoff games, Donte is shooting 30% from the field and an atrocious 21.7% from deep. For a 3-point specialist who makes his living as an off-ball mover with a lightning-quick release, that is certainly less than ideal.
While out next focus player may have lost even more money, Divincenzo’s inability to be even an average player has been popping up often. We’ll get to the oft-used “eight starters” tagline that coach Chris Finch has echoed, but Donte’s 16 minutes felt completely devoid of impact.
That is sad to hear for a player who was expected to be so massive for Minnesota before the season.
Checking in on free agents to be
If you think you’re hurting, just imagine how Nickeil Alexander-Walker is doing in this moment. After a third straight year of being the perfect complementary player, NAW entered the playoffs as the face of dependability. What he’s been since is anything but.
Nickeil is only shooting slightly better than Donte without the contract flexibility of the Italian. While teams certainly don’t change their opinions of players after a few weeks of playoff basketball, his fall-off will certainly cost him quite a bit.
None of us wants to think about the off-season yet, but Minnesota will have to worry about three of their rotation players leaving in free agency. Julius Randle, Naz Reid, and Nickeil are all free agents at the end of the year. Randle has been immense and will likely be back. Naz is the most beloved player of a generation of Wolves basketball.
That leaves NAW on the outside looking in.
He is unfortunately making the choice of who to keep very easy for the Wolves.
The Myth of “Eight Starters”
Have you heard the saying “a Hellcat looks real good until a Lambo pulls up?” Well, Minnesota may just have realized that in their rotation. Claiming that your whole rotation could be starters on most teams sounds great until those supposed starter-level players struggle to outplay reserve-level numbers.
We’ve spoken about Nickeil and Donte, but it has really been laid bare in these playoffs how valuable depth is, but simultaneously how easy it is to overrate the depth you have.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are watching in real time as Ty Jerome turns back into a pumpkin. The Warriors say Podziemski evaporates in place of Steph Curry. These ideas of depth are so valuable that the rotations are shortened, and those extra 12 to 15 minutes need to simply stay afloat.
Unfortunately for Minnesota, they have five startable players, and none of them are point guards. Maybe this sets up Rob Dillingham for a larger role next season after a rookie season in purgatory, but in the here and now, it leaves questions that Donte Divincenzo, Mike Conley Jr, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker have failed to answer.
Up Next
The Timberwolves will be back in action on Monday evening for a second game in the Bay Area will require a better performance to build up the infamous 3-1 lead that would keep Steph Curry from returning in time. After tonight’s dog fight, game four is sure to be even messier and even grindier.
The game will begin at 9 PM CT, airing on ESPN.