The Minnesota Timberwolves came into Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals with a chip on their shoulder—and left it with a resounding 117-93 victory over the Golden State Warriors to tie the series at 1-1.
After a sluggish start in Game 1, head coach Chris Finch made sure his team got the message. A pointed and intense film session laid the foundation for a determined Game 2 effort that saw Minnesota come out firing—and never look back.
“It was the kind of response you want,” Finch said. “The guys didn’t like what they saw on tape. That was the right reaction.”
Julius Randle led the way with 24 points and 11 assists, taking full advantage of the absence of Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, who missed the game due to a left hamstring strain. His status for the rest of the series remains uncertain, with reports suggesting he could be sidelined until next week at the earliest.
Without Curry to command defensive attention, the Warriors’ offense sputtered. Minnesota’s length and athleticism swallowed up Golden State’s shooters, holding Buddy Hield and Brandin Podziemski in check and allowing only 93 points total.
Anthony Edwards, who briefly left the game with an injury scare, added 20 points in a poised performance. He was part of a Timberwolves attack that more than tripled their Game 1 three-point output—going 16-for-37 from beyond the arc. The bench, led by Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s 20 points, was electric, with Alexander-Walker, Donte DiVincenzo, and Naz Reid combining to hit 10 of 22 threes.
“It was a total team win,” Randle said. “We moved the ball, defended like hell, and responded the way we had to.”
The Warriors’ offense never found a rhythm. It took them nearly five minutes to score in the opening quarter, finally getting on the board after a 13-0 Timberwolves run with a three-pointer from Jimmy Butler, who struggled to generate momentum throughout the game.
Golden State finished the first quarter with just 15 points—their lowest playoff opening period since scoring 11 in Game 6 of the 2016 Finals against Cleveland, per Sportradar.
Jonathan Kuminga was a rare bright spot, finishing with 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting. Trayce Jackson-Davis added 15 points on 6-of-8 from the floor, but the Warriors’ bench production couldn’t match Minnesota’s intensity or efficiency.
Coach Steve Kerr, down his top scorer, turned to a scattershot approach with 14 players seeing the floor. But nothing stuck against Minnesota’s smothering defense. Draymond Green’s frustration boiled over again as he picked up his fifth technical foul of the postseason for elbowing Naz Reid after a foul, putting him just two away from an automatic suspension.
“This group has to find answers quickly,” Kerr said. “We were outplayed, outcoached, and outworked.”
As the series shifts to San Francisco for Game 3, the Warriors will hope for better news on Curry’s hamstring. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves have seized momentum—and aren’t about to let go.
