Buddy Hield and Draymond Green delivered from 3-point vary with Golden State star Stephen Curry all of a sudden sidelined by a hamstring pressure, and the Warriors opened the second-round sequence with an impressed 99-88 victory over the stumbling Timberwolves on Tuesday evening.
Hield picked up the place he left off within the Recreation 7 win at Houston that completed the primary spherical by scoring 24 factors on 5-for-8 3-point capturing.
Jimmy Butler had 20 factors, 11 rebounds and eight assists and Inexperienced had 4 first-half 3s on his solution to 18 factors, because the Warriors used 12 gamers, loads of hustle and lockdown protection to beat the regarding departure of their sharpshooting chief.
The house groups have but to win within the second spherical of those NBA playoffs. Within the convention semifinals, visiting groups mixed to go 4-0 in Recreation 1s, the primary time that has occurred throughout this spherical within the league’s playoff historical past.
Minnesota has one other probability to get one in Recreation 2 on Thursday.
The massive query: Will Curry can be out there? The league’s career-leading 3-point shooter and four-time NBA champion exited early in the second quarter after hitting a 14-footer and grabbing the again of his left leg. The Warriors dominated him out for the rest of the sport quickly after that.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr shrewdly despatched a zone protection at a Wolves staff that went 7-for-47 from 3-point vary in a convincing win over the Los Angeles Lakers within the Recreation 5 clincher within the first spherical, and the bricks piled up even greater after practically every week off.
The Wolves missed their first 16 photographs from 3-point vary till they had been down by 20 and Naz Reid drained one from the wing with 8:32 left within the third quarter.
Anthony Edwards had 23 factors and 14 rebounds after a very tough begin, ending 9-for-22 from the ground. Reid had 19 factors and Julius Randle added 16 factors for the Wolves, who completed 5-for-29 from behind the arc and trailed by 23 factors late within the third.
Reporting by The Related Press.
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