The Warriors took a commanding 23-point lead vs. the Timberwolves in the third quarter and almost sailed to victory. The Warriors won the game 99-88 after the Wolves cut the difference to nine points midway through the fourth quarter. But Buddy Hield and Jimmy Butler dropped some clutch shots to avoid letting the Timberwolves rally back into the game.
With this victory, this is the first time in NBA Playoff history that the away teams have won all four Game 1s in the conference semi-finals. Yesterday, the Knicks beat the Celtics at the TD Garden in Boston, and the Nuggets beat the Thunder at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma. Today, the Pacers beat the Cavaliers at the Rocket Arena in Cleveland, and now the Warriors beat the Timberwolves at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
What makes this win even more remarkable for the Warriors is that they did it with Stephen Curry sidelined for most of the game with a hamstring injury.
What Does This Mean For The Warriors?
A historic playoff night was likely overshadowed for the team as Stephen Curry exited the game early in the second quarter with a left hamstring strain. He was ruled out for the remainder of the game. The silver lining for the Warriors with this injury is that they have shown the Timberwolves that they don’t need Curry to beat them at their own home. Jimmy Butler and Buddy Hield led the Warriors in the clutch moments and finished the game with 20 and 24 points, respectively.
So, while the locker room atmosphere may still be tense for the Warriors as they await further examination into their superstar’s injury, they have something positive to uplift their morale. Curry exited the game with only 13 points. However, Draymond Green stepped up in his absence and scored 18 points in the first three quarters, knocking down four three-point shots in seven attempts.
He finished the game with the same points after failing to score in the fourth quarter. In comparison, Green only averaged 8.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in the seven games of the first-round series vs. the Rockets. Therefore, he clearly stepped up his offensive production in Curry’s absence.
This is not the first time that Draymond Green has stepped up offensively in an important game for the Warriors. His most iconic moment of stepping up in his career came during the 2015-16 NBA Finals, where he averaged 16.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in six games played. He would’ve likely won the Finals MVP that season if not for a LeBron James and Kyrie Irving masterclass.
