Russell's 35 points helps Timberwolves respond with series-tying 121-112 victory on home court
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MINNEAPOLIS, MAY 9 – On a night when the Minnesota Timberwolves needed to play their best, they simply tore a page out of Golden State’s book and did it better. With three’s reigning down on the net all night, the Minnesota Timberwolves built a 21-point lead and quelled a comeback bid by Stephen Curry in the fourth quarter to give the Timberwolves a 121-112 victory, tying the series 2-2. The Timberwolves started fast, converting 5 of their 9 buckets from deep and hit 10 of 24 by the time half-time rolled around. Golden State didn’t convert any of their five shots from the arc in the second quarter, which gave the Timberwolves a generous 64-53 lead going into the second half. Then the story was written. The Golden State castoff. Surplus to their requirements. D’Angelo Russell became a thorn in their side yet again, leading the game with 35 points, coming down with four rebounds off the glass and distributing 9 assists and registering 3 steals in a performance where he shot 4 of 8 from the arc. “Sheer brilliance,” said teammate Kelly Oubre Jr, who himself finished with 27 points but struggled in the second half with just shooting 22% from the field. The Warriors chipped at the Timberwolves’ lead late in the third quarter and almost drew level with 3:26 remaining in the game, when Curry’s three point shot closed the deficit to just a 111-108 Minnesota lead.
“They responded how I wanted them to,” said coach Ryan Saunders after the game. “We were intensive on defense, we didn’t allow them the shots they wanted. The Timberwolves stayed out of foul trouble, conceding just 11. Golden State, on the other hand, had to endure a night of aggressive play in the paint from Minnesota – committing 20 fouls. D’Angelo Russell went 9 of 12 from the free throw line, Karl Anthony-Towns converted 7 of his 10 opportunities and Malik Beasley went 5 of 6. Minnesota looked sluggish, lost and defeated in game three when Golden State came out and hammered them at home. They responded with a night you could only want. With momentum on their side, and now a best of 3 for the remainder of the series, Minnesota will travel back to San Francisco for a pivotal game 5. “We’re gonna focus on this next game,” said Anthony-Towns after the game. “This game is over, the series is alive. You know, we have to do our bit to try end the series early.” It’s a tough ask for Minnesota to make it a six games series. The Warriors have just lost twice in the last 8 postseason appearances outside of an NBA Finals appearance. The Clippers eliminated them from the first round back in 2014 – which took them seven games to do so. The year before, the Spurs eliminated them in six games.
As for Minnesota, they’ve never been this deep into the postseason before with the exception of their 2004 Conference Finals series against the Los Angeles Lakers. This will be completely new territory for the Cinderella story team which has the nation supporting them. Tonight, the Minnesota Timberwolves got back to winning basketball and played the formula that was so successful during the regular season. Shoot from the arc and suffocate and attack from within the paint. They did just that while doing enough to force Stephen Curry to just 24 points on offense, while Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins had relatively quiet nights, picking up just 22 and 16 points respectively.
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