The Minnesota Timberwolves got off to a blazing start and never looked back, cruising to a 117-93 win to tie the series against the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals on May 9.
Golden State Warriors Top Performers:
Brandin Podziemski 11 PTS | 6 REB | 6 AST | 31.2 FPS
Podz has been struggling on offense in the playoffs but he did make up for it with solid contributions in the secondary stats. He also started at point guard today and is likely to see a larger role in the offense moving forward. He also had a strong 26-point and six threes performance at home against the Rockets, making a potential bounce-back possible.
Trayce Jackson-Davis 15 PTS | 6 REB | 1 BLK | 28.7 FPS
TJD came through in a major way, providing a solid two-way impact from the bench. He’s definitely capable of these performances like he did early in the season, delivering multiple double-digit scoring and rebounding games.
Draymond Green 9 PTS | 5 REB | 4 AST | 25.3 FPS
Green returned to his usual scoring output after recording 16+ points in each of his previous two games. With Curry out, maintaining that offensive rhythm will be more challenging—but his all-around impact should keep him relevant. However, he picked up his fifth technical foul of the playoffs after elbowing Reid; just two more would result in an automatic suspension.
Jonathan Kuminga 18 PTS | 5 REB | 1 AST | 23.5 FPS
JK delivered a big spark with the team heavily struggling on offense, hitting all of his first eight shots without a miss. With Curry sidelined and the team’s limited scoring options, they’ll need him to continue playing with the same energy for them to have a bigger chance of winning more games.
Buddy Hield 15 PTS | 3 REB | 1 STL | 21.1 FPS
Hield had to deal with tighter defense with Curry sidelined, but that didn’t stop him from scoring 15+ points for the sixth time this postseason. He also remained sharp from three-point range, converting 4 of his 9 attempts. That said, he should continue to shoulder a significant part of the offense going forward.
Minnesota Timberwolves Top Performers:
Anthony Edwards 20 PTS | 9 REB | 3 STL | 49.3 FPS
Edwards shook off his struggles in Game 1, posting 7 points and 4 stocks in the first half before sustaining an ankle injury when Jackson-Davis landed on his ankle, forcing him out of the game. However, he returned in the second half and looked even better, shooting 4-of-6 from the field and collecting five more rebounds. If he’s healthy, expect him to continue dominating the series.
Julius Randle 24 PTS | 7 REB | 11 AST | 46.9 FPS
Randle had to take over after Edwards got hurt and exited the game in the second quarter, finishing with 16 points in the half. He also kept it going after the break, finishing with his 10th career playoff double-double and 11th with at least 20 points. With the way he’s been playing, he should have no trouble putting up another solid all-around performance in Game 3.
Jaden McDaniels 16 PTS | 3 STL | 3 BLK | 35.4 FPS
McDaniels had an exceptional performance on both ends. Offensively, he continues to be efficient, shooting at 50% from the field with at least 10 attempts for the fifth time this playoffs. Defensively, he’s recorded four or more stocks 17 times this season and even outblocking the whole Warriors team. While some inconsistency is expected, he should still continue to be a key contributor in this series.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker 20 PTS | 2 REB | 3 AST | 28.9 FPS
NAW had not seen much minutes in Game 1 but stepped up today, hitting 4 threes and finishing with his sixth 20-point performance this season. However, repeating this level of performance will be difficult.
Naz Reid 11 PTS | 3 REB | 5 AST | 25.1 FPS
Reid wasn’t much of a factor on either side of the court, outside of playmaking. He probably won’t maintain these assists numbers every game, but his perimeter shooting and defensive stats should continue to make him a valuable contributor.
Biggest Disappointment of the Game:
Jimmy Butler 17 PTS | 7 REB | 4 AST
Butler should have been a bigger factor today, especially on offense, with Curry expected to be out at least through Game 4. Instead he was unusually passive, not looking to shoot at most times. Despite that, he’s certainly capable of turning this around at home, where he has scored 27 points over his last two playoff games. However, if he’s not going to score at least 25 points moving forward, it’s hard to see them winning another game.
