The Minnesota Timberwolves knew they let one slip away in their 99-88 Game 1 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Chris Finch hoped his guys were stewing ahead of Game 2.
“[The] team has been a little quiet in the last day and a half,” Finch said. “But I like that.”
They shot a remarkable 0 of 15 from deep in the first half, and Anthony Edwards only had one point. Throughout the night, Golden State’s defense bothered a Wolves offense that wasn’t on the same page. When they did get good looks, the Timberwolves missed them.
The most frustrating aspect of the loss was that Steph Curry left with a hamstring strain in the second quarter after playing only 13 minutes. The door was ajar for Minnesota to salvage a horrible start. Instead, they let Golden State’s supporting cast slam it in their face.
Entering Game 2 on Thursday, the Wolves needed to show the gap between them and a Curry-less team was large while staking out the mental edge they failed to in Game 1.
That started with a strong first quarter.
“We looked a lot more like ourselves,” Finch said following Minnesota’s 117-93 win on Thursday. “Obviously, the start was great for us. That’s what we needed. Set the tone.”
The Timberwolves immediately highlighted that Game 2 was different. Going 0-for from deep in a half is an anomaly for even the bottom-feeding teams in the NBA. However, Minnesota’s offense in the playoffs hasn’t been particularly good. Since Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Wolves had been shooting 41.8% from the floor and 25.4% from deep.
Over the first five minutes, Minnesota held a 13-0 advantage by shooting 5 of 8 from the floor and 2 of 2 from deep while holding the Warriors to 0 of 8 shooting.
On Wednesday, the Warriors announced that Curry would miss at least one week with his left hamstring strain, putting him out until Game 5 at the earliest. Curry was emotional after his injury in Game 1, and Vegas pegged the Wolves as heavier favorites to advance past the Warriors than before the series started. The Wolves were also 10.5-point favorites – their largest favored postseason spread – to win Game 2.
Players don’t and shouldn’t pay attention to what sportsbooks say, but the fans do. Wolves fans were genuinely upset to learn how much faith Las Vegas had in them to win Game 2. It’s hard to blame those fans. Minnesota had the worst record as home favorites in the regular season among teams that played at least 40 games under such conditions.
Dropping Game 1 like the Wolves did added to the fanbase’s nerves. However, Minnesota took as much as an 18-point lead in the first quarter of Game 2, and Target Center gave its team standing ovations after booing them in Game 1.
“We knew that this was a pivotal game in the series,” Finch said. “As these things unfold, everything kind of takes on a different meaning, but for us, this game was huge. Recognizing that was important.”
The Wolves were up 56-39 at halftime. They set the tone with intensity while the Warriors struggled to find offensive direction without their true Batman. After the hot start to the first quarter, Minnesota’s shot-making slightly slowed down.
They were shooting 21 of 44 (47.7%) from the floor over the first 24 minutes and 8 of 17 (47.1%) from deep. Still, Minnesota’s offensive progressions were significantly better than in Game 1. They also turned the Warriors over seven times.
Minnesota put space between itself and Golden State with every momentous bucket. However, there was a subdued celebration from the crowd as the teams broke for halftime.
Trayce Jackson-Davis stepped on Edwards’ left ankle with six minutes left in the first half. Ant was lying on the hardwood in pain, grabbing his ankle. He required two trainers on either side of him to help him off the court. Edwards was putting barely any weight on his left leg.
“This one I was really worried about, actually,” Finch said regarding Ant’s injury. “This one, I was really planning on not seeing him for the rest of the game.”
True to form, Edwards appeared from the tunnel at halftime. He tested his ankle before giving a thumbs-up to the team’s Head Athletic Trainer, Erin Sierer. Edwards was still moving gingerly after halftime, and he only had seven points on 2 of 7 from the floor, blowing multiple shots at the rim in the first half. However, having his gravity on the floor is positive for the Wolves, allowing guys like Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels to exploit Golden State’s defense.
With Ant back in the mix, Minnesota seemed poised to put the Warriors to bed in the third.
However, the Warriors reminded the Timberwolves that this is the second round of the playoffs. Even without Curry, Golden State still can be a threat if they see an opportunity.
The Warriors outscored the Wolves 16-6 over the first five minutes of the second half, pulling within seven points. Minnesota was shooting 2 of 6 in that span and turned it over four times. The crowd was groaning, and the game was competitive for the first time all night. Finch called his first – and last – desperation timeout.
“Taking care of the ball,” Finch said regarding Minnesota’s poor start to the third. “We had like three or four sloppy turnovers. Just real sloppy turnovers. It got kind of loose on the other end, and soft there with some of our communication and switches. But mostly it was just turnovers. Guys were frustrated. But we refocused pretty quickly.”
Over the final five minutes of the third, the Wolves closed on a 20-7 run to retake a 20-point lead heading into the fourth. With four minutes left in the final quarter, Minnesota’s lead was sitting at 21, and Steve Kerr emptied what was left of his deep bench.
The Timberwolves couldn’t fall behind 0-2 at home to the Warriors without Steph Curry. They did what they needed to in Game 2. Even winning by a small margin while the offense sputtered and the defense made too many head-scratching miscues wasn’t an option. The Wolves did what they needed to in Game 2.
Five Wolves players finished in double figures. Randle dished out 11 assists while scoring 24 points. McDaniels had 16 points on 7 of 10 from the floor. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points, more than his previous three games combined. The Timberwolves shot 50.6% from the floor and 43.2% from deep while recording their lowest defensive rating of the postseason (98.9).
The Warriors are not the same team without Curry. They looked downright bad without him for most of Game 2. However, Golden State’s comeback in the third gave Minnesota a gut check. The Wolves proved there is sizable space between themselves and the Warriors. They also staked out the mental edge that cost them Game 1.
Minnesota won’t stew about Golden State’s third-quarter run on Thursday. However, as the series shifts to San Francisco, remembering the Warriors are still a threat will allow the Wolves to return home for Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead, ready to advance to the Western Conference Finals in front of their hometown fans.
