Timberwolves 117, Warriors 93: Got the Job Done

With Steph Curry sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Timberwolves were heavy favorites and looked like it on Thursday night.

There is no such thing as a must-win Game 2, but this one was about as close as you can get for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The first game of this series against the Golden State Warriors went about as poorly as imaginable, but the tenor of the series changed when it was announced that Stephen Curry would miss at least a week with a hamstring injury.

After missing their first 16 3-pointers of Game 1, the Timberwolves could use a better shooting night, and they got exactly that with Jaden McDaniels and Mike Conley knocking down shots from beyond the arc to start the game.

The Wolves jumped out to a 13-0 lead with the Warriors’ offense struggling to get any good looks at the basket without their superstar. Minnesota used its stifling defense to hold Golden State to just 15 points in the first quarter, building a 14-point lead.

Midway through the second quarter, the Draymond Green antics showed up. Following a foul call on Naz Reid, Green swung his elbows wildly, hitting Reid in the head.

The officials reviewed the play and upheld the foul on Reid and gave Green a dead-ball technical foul. Following the review, Draymond went straight up to the officials and yelled, “That’s f***ing bullsh*t.” Green was not assessed another technical, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr immediately subbed him out of the game, likely in an attempt to cool him down.

With 5:56 remaining in the first half, Anthony Edwards got his ankle stepped on by Trayce Jackson-Davis following a layup attempt. Edwards was slow to get up and was helped back to the locker room by Wolves staff.

The Wolves were able to hold down the fort for the remainder of the second quarter, maintaining a 17-point lead heading into the halftime locker room. That gave Ant enough time for his ankle to heal, as he was back out there to start the second half.

Just like they did in the first game of the series, the Wolves started the third quarter extremely slowly. They allowed a 16-6 Warriors run to cut a once 22-point lead down to just seven, necessitating a timeout from Timberwolves coach Chris Finch.

That timeout was enough to wake the team up as they followed the worst stretch of the game with one of their best, going on a 14-3 run to push the lead back to 18. Nickeil Alexander-Walker was outstanding during the stretch, getting to the rim, dishing to teammates, and knocking down shots.

The lead ballooned to 20 by the end of the third quarter. That lead would prove to be enough as the lead never dropped below 15 points in the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves won Game 2 by a final score of 117-93, evening the series at 1-1.

Julius Randle led the way for the Wolves with 24 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds. Edwards was not far behind with 20 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Jonathan Kumingas was the Warriors’ leading scorer with 18 points on 8-11 shooting.

This story will be updated throughout the night after coach and player media availabilities.

---

Up Next

With the series tied at 1-1, everything now shifts to San Francisco for Games 3 and 4. Curry will not play in either game with the hamstring injury he sustained in the first game of this series. Game 3 tips off on Saturday at 7:30 PM CT. Fans can watch the game airing nationally on ABC.