Minnesota Thwarts Curry-Less Warriors to Even West Semis Series

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Minnesota Timberwolves avoided a 0-2 start on their home floor and evened their Western Conference best-of-seven semifinal playoff series with a Game 2 demolition of the Golden State Warriors, 117-93, on May 9, 2025.

Without superstar Stephen Curry, who was ruled out due to a left hamstring strain, the Warriors had their worst start of the playoffs, failing to score in the first five minutes of the opening quarter.

From that point, the Timberwolves capitalized as Jaden McDaniels and Mike Conley led a 13-0 scoring run that forced Golden State head coach Steve Kerr to call an emergency timeout.

Although the Warriors silenced the Minnesota crowd after Jimmy Butler hit a three-pointer followed by Jonathan Kuminga’s paint baskets, the Timberwolves restored order in the final 1:25 of the first, courtesy of timely scoring from Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle that stretched their lead back to 14 points, 29-15.

Minnesota stuck to its game plan of attacking Golden State’s interior, helping protect its double-digit lead at the end of the first half.

Just when the home team looked to sustain its run, Golden State had its best scoring quarter in the third as an offensive burst cut the deficit to seven points.

Butler, Kuminga and Buddy Hield led that surge, supported by Draymond Green’s sharp court vision.

With their 18-point lead gone, Minnesota was on red alert, but key baskets from Edwards, Randle, McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker thwarted the Warriors’ comeback attempt.

From a seven-point margin, Minnesota’s counterattack flipped the game back into a lopsided affair.

Without Curry in the lineup, the Warriors struggled to run their sets, with bench players forced to take on scoring roles due to a lack of firepower.

Minnesota didn’t give Golden State any room to breathe in the final 12 minutes, holding the visitors scoreless for a two-minute stretch.

With nothing working for the Warriors, Kerr pulled all of his starters with three minutes left to preserve them for Game 3 at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

Randle stepped up when the Timberwolves needed him most, leading the team with 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting, along with 11 assists and seven rebounds.

Edwards, who overcame an ankle scare after exiting late in the second quarter, returned in the second half and posted an all-around stat line of 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Alexander-Walker matched Edwards’ scoring with 20 points and had a strong night from beyond the arc, making four of six three-point attempts.

On the other side, Golden State got a breakout performance from Kuminga, who finished with 18 points, but it wasn’t enough as Butler added only 17 points on 13 shots.

Both teams will have just one day of rest before meeting for Game 3 on May 11, 2025, on Golden State’s home floor.