Ant shoves Steph-less Warriors one step closer to offseason in Game 4 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – The last few seconds of the first half Monday night were illustrative in understanding why the Warriors are one loss from skidding into the offseason.
After Jonathan Kuminga dropped in two free throws to punctuate a 14-3 run and give the Warriors a 60-55 lead with eight seconds on the clock, the Minnesota Timberwolves inbounded and put the ball in the hands of Anthony Edwards.
The Warriors responded appropriately. Draymond Green and Gary Payton II, their best defenders, converged on Edwards in hopes of preventing one of those buzzer-beating 3-pointers that inspires one team and deflates the other.
Edwards took note of Green and Payton, dribbled into a rhythm and launched a 30-footer that swished, inspiring the Timberwolves and signaling the beginning of the end for the Warriors in Game 4 and, perhaps, these Western Conference semifinals.
Minnesota’s scorching third quarter – a 39-17 advantage – muted the sellout crowd (18,064) at Chase Center and laid a 117-110 smashing on the Warriors that leaves them one game from elimination.
“It was a big shot,” coach Steve Kerr said. “I thought the way we defended it was great. I mean, Gary was all over him. Draymond came out to double. Then he hit a step-back 30-footer. There’s not much you can do about that.”
Recognizing the significance of Edwards’ shot, Green expressed a measure of regret over the way that and several other shots were defended.
“It was huge,” Green said. “One thing we talked about at halftime is like, ‘Yeah, he hit a tough shot. What could we have done differently? Could we have not let him walk up to the spot?’
“But it’s like every time we’re on a run, we’re letting Ant break the run up. Somebody can break the run up, but it can’t be their best player. Our defense should be so keyed at that point during a run that it can’t be their best player just getting to a spot and raising up.”
With Stephen Curry sidelined with a strained left hamstring, the Warriors have been consistent in their messaging, saying their defense would be the primary dictator of their fortunes. And through three games, it had its moments.
Not so much in Game 4, largely thanks to Edwards.
“It was huge,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said of Edwards’ halftime buzzer-beater, “because it felt like one of those games where we were going to struggle to find a rhythm.”
Instead, Minnesota left Golden State’s defense in ruins during the relevant first three quarters, shooting 53.0 percent from the field, including 51.6 percent from distance, before finishing at 49.4 and 47.1. Edwards scored 30 points, 16 in the decisive third quarter. Julius Randle finished with a game-high 31. Their combined 61 points came on 22-of-42 shooting, including 10 of 19 from deep.
The third-quarter blast gave Minnesota a 97-77 lead entering the fourth quarter, effectively shoving the Warriors a giant step closer to going home for the summer.
“It felt like there were some [shots] in the third quarter where we got disconnected defensively and they got they got wide open looks,” Kerr said. “I also thought they hit some really tough shots as well. They played a great game and obviously took it to us.”
Golden State’s offense couldn’t do much to help its cause. There was another energetic performance by Kuminga – 23 points, 6-of-13 shooting from the field, including 11 of 12 from the line – and not much else.
Jimmy Butler III, so prolific in Game 3 but “under the weather” on Monday, walked off the court with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field. Buddy Hield totaled 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting, including 2 of 6 from deep. Brandin Podziemski continued to struggle for buckets, finishing with 11 points while shooting 3 of 14, including 0 of 4 from distance.
“Everybody has to shoot,” Green said. “If you get the opening, you’ve got to let it go. Sometimes, we’re passing some up. Without Steph, at times the first good look oftentimes will be the best look.”
Since winning Game 1 on the road, the Warriors have lost three in a row, the last two on their home floor. The last time Golden State lost three consecutive postseason games were, gulp, the 2016 NBA Finals, when the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a 3-1 deficit by winning Games 5, 6 and 7.
Golden State’s task now is to win three straight games over the Wolves, including two at Target Center in Minneapolis.
“We’ve got to bounce back,” Kerr said. “We’ve got a flight to Minneapolis tomorrow and a chance to extend the series. And that’s the plan.”
From the looks of Games 3 and 4 at Chase, a Golden State comeback seems a feat beyond the grasp of the roster without Curry, with Butler now ill and so many shortcomings elsewhere.
