The One Thing We Learned From Timberwolves vs Warriors – Game 2

By    |  
Updated:
Follow Us
Anthony Edwards - Playoffs - Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves
Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Coming off one of the uglier losses in Minnesota Timberwolves playoff history, Anthony Edwards & Co. entered game two of the Western Conference semifinals vs the Steph Curry-less Golden State Warriors as huge -10 point favorites.

Immediately, the Wolves let the Warriors know that game two was not going to be like game one. After going 0-for-15 from deep in the first half of game one, Minnesota immediately drilled its first two three pointers of game two and jumped out to an early 13-0 lead, making a depleted Golden State team fight from behind right from the opening tip.

The Warriors stuck around (kind of) for most of the contest, and even cut the lead down to single digits a couple of times. But in the end, Golden State never threatened to take momentum away from the the Wolves, who finished on top 117-93 when the final buzzer sounded at the end of the 4th quarter.

There was plenty to take away from the Minnesota Timberwolves’ convincing game two win over the Warriors on Thursday night. But really, there was one thing we learned/confirmed during the Wolves’ blowout win at Target Center. Without Steph, the Warriors are screwed.

What We Learned (Gm 2): The Steph Curry-Less Warriors are no match for the Minnesota Timberwolves

Jimmy Butler, Julius Randle - NBA Playoffs - Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves
Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Golden State Warriors entered this series overmatched in the first place — both from a high-end talent standpoint, and in terms of true roster depth. Against the Houston Rockets, in round one, the Warriors stuck with mostly a six-man rotation of Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Moses Moody and Draymond Green.

Three others — Gary Patron II, Jonathan Kuminga and Quinten Post — played between 16 and 17 fill-in minutes during the series, but they saw the floor only to get Golden State’s aging big three SOME rest. In contrast, the Minnesota Timberwolves had eight players who averaged over 20 minutes per game in their first round series vs the Lakers, and seven of them played over 24 minutes per night.

Steve Kerr searching for help… but there is none

Back to Thursday, game two between the Warriors and Wolves. With Curry dressed in street clothes, Golden State just did have enough talent available for Steve Kerr to conjure up some sort of magic against the barrage of weapons firing on the Minnesota side. If the Timberwolves play to their potential, not even Steph could save the Warriors.

Instead, Kerr was forced to throw rotation spaghetti at the Target Center wall for most of game two, in hopes of finding a spark or effective lineup combination against the superior talented Wolves. Hield and Podziemski got extended time in the back court, in Curry’s absence. Both played okay… but neither are Steph Curry.

Jonathan Kuminga played 29 of the best minutes in his young NBA career, leading the Warriors in scoring with 18 points, to go along with his 5 rebounds. He averaged just 16.7 minutes and 6 points per game against Houston.

Trayce Jackson-Davis shined as well, in his 19 minutes, shooting 6/6 from the field, scoring 15 points and grabbing 6 rebounds of his own. This, after the former Indiana Hoosier averaged only 4.8 minutes per game in round one. And… none of it mattered.

Related: Timberwolves Coach Dumbfounded with Refs’ Mistreatment of Rudy Gobert

Warriors top scorers can’t score on Timberwolves defense; Hield can’t escape Mike Conley…?

With Rudy Gobert guarding the paint, Golden State’s only real scoring threat, Jimmy Butler, struggled to initiate his offense inside of 15-18 feet, where he is most comfortable. He finished with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, with 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

Meanwhile, Minnesota attached shutdown defender (lol) Mike Conley (seriously) on Buddy Hield (seriously), who erupted for 24 points (5/8 3PT) and 8 rebounds in game one. And… it worked.

The former No. 6 overall pick out of Oklahoma — who the Thibs-led Wolves passed on in the 2016 NBA Draft in favor of Kris Dunn — shot just 5-of-14 from the field, totalling an underwhelming 15 points and 3 rebounds.

“To be 50 years old and still come out and defend and play with the effort that he does, I’ve talked all year about the leader that [Mike Conley] is for our team, and kind of how he just keeps a balance.”

Julius Randle on Mike Conley’s defensive effort in game 2 on Buddy Hield (quote via The Athletic)

Draymond Green, who put up 18 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in game one, managed only 9 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists in game two…. and he should have been tossed halfway through the game, which would have made him ineligible for game three.

Warriors only got Minnesota Timberwolves + Anthony Edwards’ B effort…

How he never got another technical foul through all that… well only the NBA can answer that question. No matter, because without Steph, Golden State isn’t beating Minnesota with or without Draymond. In game two, not one Warriors player topped 18 points.

And that was against the Minnesota Timberwolves’ B effort, at best. Yes, the Wolves shot much better than they had the previous two games of this playoff run (50.6% FG, 43.2% 3PT), but Anthony Edwards is still struggling to finish at the rim and has yet to recapture the intensity he had from games one through four vs LA.

Related: Minnesota Timberwolves Announcer Lands a Couple More Jobs

Yet, the Golden State Warriors never stood a chance in game two. The Wolves won by 24 points, and outside of a couple Warrior whimpers that cut Minnesota’s lead to single-digits, the Curry-less ghost of what was once an NBA dynasty was obviously outmatched right from tip.

So unless the Wolves decide not to show up to the arena, over the next four days, while Steph Curry is out of the Golden State lineup, this series is as good as over. In fact, without Steph, I’d be utterly shocked if the Warriors finish any game within 10 points of the Minnesota Timberwolves, let alone actually win another game.

Mentioned in this article:

More About:
0What do you think?Post a comment.