Anthony Edwards was chopping it up with Gary Payton II during Game 3.
“Y’all trying to get to a Game 6,” Ant said. “And get Wardell back.”
“That is the plan,” Payton responded with a chuckle. “That’s the plan.”
It was a lighthearted exchange from two charismatic guys, but Payton was a primary reason Edwards shot 3 of 12 from the floor in the first half and recorded eight points.
Ant and the Minnesota Timberwolves knew the Golden State Warriors’ mindset after losing Steph Curry in Game 1 – force a Game 6, so Wardell Stephen Curry can return. The Warriors doing that meant winning at least Game 3 or 4 in front of their home crowd.
Doing that also meant that Jimmy Butler had to carry the load after he recorded 17 points on 13 shot attempts in Game 2. Butler led his former team, the Miami Heat, to two Finals runs, earning him the nickname Playoff Jimmy. That’s the player Golden State needed to win Game 3, but staring him down on the other side were Edwards and Julius Randle – two relentless, in-your-face stars who should be able to counteract Butler’s desperation attempt.
On paper, there is a significant talent gap between the Curry-less Warriors and the fully healthy Wolves. However, in the first half of Game 3, you would not have been able to tell.
Edwards said he stunk in the first half, which Wolves fans could back up by the numbers and eye test. Payton and the Warriors were heavily blitzing and face-guarding Edwards. That is nothing new for Ant. He faces two to three defenders on each half-court possession. Every No.1 star in the league does. That defensive attention bothered Edwards early in the season, hampering his stats while taking away his energy and passion during the game.
In the first half on Saturday, Ant looked like that distraught player. He wasn’t playing with the same edge, passion, and intensity that helped him figure out his issues early in the season. Still, Chris Finch thought Edwards was making the right reads.
“I liked the way he started,” said Finch. “I thought he was aggressive and doing the right things. In the first half, when he was putting the ball on the deck, he was drawing such a crowd, and we were actually able to find some cleaner looks.”
Edwards injured his left ankle in Game 2. He received treatment in the locker room before returning to the game, but even Ant admitted “that one was bad.”
Finch said before Game 3 that he wasn’t aware that Edwards’ ankle was causing any limitations. However, Ant has always been one to push himself even when he is not 100% healthy. The ankle could have compounded his struggles, but if he is healthy enough to be out there, the Wolves need more than eight points in a half on 25% shooting out of their star.
Minnesota scored 40 points in the first half, shooting 15 of 44 (34.1%) from the floor, 6 of 20 (30%) from deep, and turning the ball over ten times. Still, the Wolves only trailed by three because they held Golden State to 17 of 39 (43.6%) from the floor and 0 of 5 from deep.
Playoff Jimmy activated, and the Timberwolves were directionless on offense. Butler had 18 points in the first half on 7 of 13 from the floor, scoring around the rim at will.
Meanwhile, Rudy Gobert – Minnesota’s only hope at containing Butler inside – Naz Reid, and Donte DiVincenzo had three fouls. Add that onto Edwards’ struggles, and Finch’s offensive avenues were quickly closing. Still, the Wolves weren’t out of it like they were when their offense abandoned them in Game 1. Julius Randle’s 13 points and how he produced quality looks when no one else could were big reasons why.
“We needed everything from Julius,” Finch told reporters. “His hustle plays. Sometimes, he does a great job of just chasing down rebounds. We needed it all. His ability to stand up to some of those really physical offensive guys out there. We needed it all.”
Randle was Minnesota’s best offensive option in the first half, but he shot 5 of 14 from the floor. With the game in limbo, the Wolves needed a strong start to the third quarter. More importantly, they needed Edwards to join Randle on his quest to stave off Butler’s desperate brilliance.
“He really got himself going with the dunk,” Finch said regarding Ant. “We needed to spread the floor for him a bit more. He needed to just go downhill. I thought there was, again, too much traffic around him at times. We needed to kind of open up the floor for him.”
“It doesn’t surprise me anymore when I see his spectacular plays, Finch later noted. “But it just infuses our group with so much energy.”
Edwards didn’t think his poster over Kevon Looney lit a fire under him. Instead, Jonathan Kuminga’s dunk over him earlier in the frame did.
Regardless of the reason, Ant had that look in his eye again. It’s the look that Payton, nor any defender in the league, can take away. Edwards hung 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting in the third, keeping the Timberwolves on pace with Golden State’s 31-point frame.
Minnesota trailed by four entering the fourth. The only offense either team could produce came from two players. The fourth quarter of a pivotal Game 2 came down to Butler and his 28 points and Kuminga with his 20 points against Edwards with 23 and Randle with 20 points, seven assists, and five rebounds.
Butler played 43 minutes and was gassed, and Kuminga is inexperienced – the Warriors DNP’d him four times in the first round. The Wolves took full advantage of the situation, outscoring the Warriors 33-24 in the fourth to claim a 102-97 win and stake out a 2-1 series advantage.
Butler shot 1 of 7 in the fourth and scored five points. Kuminga had 10 points, but it wasn’t enough to counteract the Wolves.
Edwards’ corner three put the victory on ice. Still, Randle was the one who poured the drink, not only by finding Ant for the three, but also by his overall performance.
“He’s big time, man,” Edwards told ESPN after the game regarding Randle. “He’s came through every game for us in the playoffs this year. The way he’s finding people and getting us open, even myself, getting me open looks, I can’t ask for nothing better.”
Randle finished with his first triple-double in a Timberwolves uniform (24 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds) while Edwards ended up with 36 points, 28 of which came in the second half, 13 in the fourth quarter.
On a night when Minnesota’s offense failed them again, their two alphas carried the load. Not only did Edwards and Randle schlep their teammates to a 2-1 series lead, but they outlasted a desperate Playoff Jimmy and his inexperienced sidekick.
Edwards and Randle highlighted the gap in star power between the current versions of these teams. No matter how desperate, the Warriors lack the punch Minnesota has, especially late in games. A 35-year-old Butler can only do so much. He gave it his best shot at willing Golden State to a win, taking the first step in inching this series out to six games so Curry can return.
The Warriors will have another crack at it on Monday, but they may not have enough relentless, up-in-your-face star power to prevent the Wolves from taking this series in five games.
