In Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series in Minneapolis, the Golden State Warriors held on for a 99-88 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves despite the absence of star Stephen Curry due to an injury.
The seventh-seeded Warriors won for the second time in three nights after defeating the Houston Rockets in a seven-game first-round series with Jimmy Butler III scoring 20 points and 11 rebounds. With 18 points and eight rebounds, Draymond Green came out on top.
Steve Kerr, the coach for the Warriors, said on Tuesday, “Jimmy is as good as any star in the league at reading the game and controlling the tempo.”
After a five-day break between games, Anthony Edwards appeared rusty and didn’t score any of his first ten field goals, but the Minnesotan finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Julius Randle finished with 18 points, while Naz Reid added 19 points off the bench.
Coach of the Timberwolves, Chris Finch, said, “It didn’t look like us at all.” It “didn’t feel like us at all,” he said.
Due to a left hamstring strain, Curry, 37, did not return after the second quarter. Prior to his injury, he averaged 13 points in 13 minutes on 5-for-9 shooting overall and 3-for-6 shooting from 3-point range.
After driving for a layup, Curry appeared to have sustained the injury. After the shot, he favored his left leg and raised his arm to warn the bench that something was amiss.
Curry would have an MRI on his left hamstring on Wednesday, Kerr told reporters following the game. He described the day-to-day status of Curry.
He won’t be available on Thursday, Kerr said, “we’re definitely game-planning.” It’s difficult to imagine him playing Thursday because we don’t know yet, but he has the hamstring.
Minnesota came within single digits of the fourth quarter after falling by as many as 23 points. With 6: 02 left, the Timberwolves cut their deficit to 85-76 on a 13-2 run.
Hield drilled one of his five 3-pointers on the next possession to restore the Warriors’ 12-point lead. With 5:19 left, Butler followed with a devastating jump shot to give Golden State a 90-76 lead. The Warriors stayed in a comfortable lead the rest of the way.
At the conclusion of the third quarter, Golden State held a commanding 80-to-60 advantage.
Hield scored two points at halftime, but the third quarter saw a 16-point surge. With 2:23 left in the fourth quarter, Golden State took a 76-53 lead with a 3-pointer from him.
Minnesota only scored 11 points in the second quarter, leading 44-31 at the half.
Minneapolis is hosting Game 2 of the best-of-seven series on Thursday.
Source: Aljazeera
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