Timberwolves Late Surge Outpaces Curry-Less Warriors, Gives Minnesota Series Edge

Winning without your best player is an uphill climb in any sport. In the NBA, it’s an uphill climb over dangerous terrain while barefoot. Especially if you’re the Golden State Warriors.

The team from the Golden Coast had some of the highest expectations of any seed in history, especially after upsetting the two-seeded Rockets in the first round.

(Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

Losing Stephen Curry to a hamstring injury in game one of the second round completely derailed their plans

They managed to play hard after he exited the first contest, but crumbled in game two. That inconsistency then spilled over into game three, when the Warriors put up a decent fight but fell short once again without their leader at the helm.

Now, their backs are against the wall.

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A Tough, but Futile, Effort

On a night with the odds stacked against them, it seemed the Warriors were due for an upset.

They started strong, relying heavily on Jimmy Butler to carry them on both sides of the ball, and ended the first half up by two points.

That momentum carried into the third quarter, which they won by two points

Up by four going into the fourth at home, the stage was set for a huge win. Unfortunately for the home team, the Timberwolves were more than ready for the big time.

Behind a huge night from Anthony Edwards (36 points), the Wolves outscored the Warriors 33-24 down the stretch.

They played harder, found better shots, and contested well. The Warriors kept pace, but eventually fell apart at the wrong time. They are now down 2-1.

No Way to Gel

The loss was extremely tough for the Warriors, who were in control for much of the contest.

There were several reasons they couldn’t come away with a win, but the biggest was a general lack of consistency.

Some players played well, while others went extremely cold

The team also is taking some time to adjust to a lack of Curry. Time they do not have. They need to gel around Butler in the next game or the series is going to slip away.

Jonathan Kuminga played one of the best games of his career.

He made his first eight shots, nabbed six rebounds and went on to score 30 points. Buddy Hield scored 14, while Butler predictably led the way with 33.

Everyone else couldn’t get anything going

Draymond Green appears to be back to his old offensive ways, scoring just two points in a game where his team needed more.

He also fouled out in the fourth, costing Golden State a key defensive player in a critical time.

That mix of good and bad is what the Warriors need to resist in game four.

The series isn’t over for them yet, but it will be if they don’t figure out how to get everyone on the same page.

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Jimmy the Leader

There are many questions surrounding the Warriors right now, but few are as critical as if Butler is good enough to lead Golden State to the next round.

Curry might be able to come back in this series. Even so, the Warriors don’t want to rush him back.

They signed Butler to a huge contract, and did so because he’s someone who often steps up in the bright lights.

He did just that in game three, but it still wasn’t enough

As unfair as it might sound, he needs to do more in game four. Everything runs through him with Curry off the court.

He needs to be a facilitator and understand how to get everyone involved. He does a great job of that, but he’s going to need to do even more if he wants to elevate the role players around him.

Biding Their Time

Game three went as many expected it would. The Warriors put up a good fight in front of their home crowd, kept it close, but were ultimately outclassed by a much more well-rounded Timberwolves team.

That being said, there were signs of life.

Kuminga and Butler aren’t a bad duo

They played well together in game three and did just about everything they needed to keep pace with Minnesota.

If they can get more support in game four there’s a chance they could keep the series close in time for Curry to return.

While there’s still a lot of basketball left, game four feels like a must-win for the Warriors.

Golden State is a team on the backfoot

They aren’t getting Curry back anytime soon, which means they have to find a way to either rally or stall before things get out of hand.

If they go down 3-1, things will likely end for them in Minnesota.

However, if they bounce back and force at least a game six, they could easily steal another game. If Curry comes back after that, anything is possible.