Timberwolves understand they can’t relax despite 2-1 series lead over Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Holding a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals with a chance to build a commanding advantage on Monday, the Minnesota Timberwolves have no intention of letting off the gas pedal.
Saturday’s 102-97 win over the Warriors at Chase Center put the Wolves in the driver’s seat and came on the heels of their 24-point victory in Game 2 on Thursday night.
Golden State played without superstar and two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry in both games. The results each time were predictable, with the Wolves taking full advantage of Curry’s absence to grab control of the series.
That Minnesota won so handily in Game 2, then followed that up with a solid effort on Saturday, certainly is no surprise. Although the Warriors won the first game of the series when Curry got hurt, trying to sustain life without him for a full game is a completely different story.
While the Timberwolves celebrated after their Game 3 win, the overwhelming sense in their locker room was one of unfinished business.
“There’s no sigh of relief at any point,” Minnesota center Naz Reid said. “This is a playoff series for a reason. Whether you’re up or down, you still got to go take care of business.”
In both Minnesota wins, the Warriors put up a spirited fight to keep things interesting before the Wolves left the court with the W.
The Warriors trailed by 17 at halftime in Game 2 and cut the gap to 62-55 with 7 minutes left in the third quarter before the Wolves finished the quarter with a 20-point advantage. After Minnesota boosted its lead to 22 in the fourth quarter, Golden State made another late push to make the score closer than the game actually was.
For that reason and so many others, the Timberwolves aren’t taking anything for granted at this point, although they do enjoy the look from the perch they’re sitting on currently.
“We’re just more confident now than we have been in the past,” Timberwolves guard Mike Conley said. “We saw it tonight. Being down a couple points in games and we don’t seem to panic. We kind of double down on what we do defensively.”
Given Minnesota’s most recent playoff history, it’s understandable why they don’t want to get into cruise control mode.
During the 2023-24 playoffs, Minnesota won the first two games of the Western Conference semifinals against Denver, lost the next three on the road, then won the final two games to move on to the conference finals.
Two years before that, the Wolves trailed the Grizzlies 2-1 in the opening round of the playoffs but forced the series to go six games.
And it’s not like Minnesota has played a grand style of hoop against the Warriors. The Wolves have made enough mistakes that one could make a legitimate argument that Golden State would have won either or both of the previous two games if Curry hadn’t been forced to sit on the sidelines while nursing his hamstring injury.
“We didn’t play the best basketball ourselves,” Reid said, stating the obvious.
As good as the Wolves played, to a man, they all believe they can be even better.
In Game 3, they outscored the Warriors by 13 in the paint, had a bench scoring advantage of 46-41 and held a 42-39 edge in rebounding.
“We’re just winning the possession battle in clutch time now,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Today, we actually were really big on the boards in clutch time, getting some second-shot opportunities. That’s it.
“(The Warriors) made the game ugly. They did a great job of just being super physical and trying to kind of take it into the mud. We could certainly do things better and smarter. But I was proud of our guys because we got right down there in the mud with them.”
If the Warriors can rally and force the series to go at least six games, there’s a chance Curry can get back into the lineup by then. It’s a long shot, no doubt, but one that the Timberwolves aren’t dismissing.
“When he gets back, it’s still going to be the same challenge for us,” Reid said. “We have to take care of business on the offensive and defensive side.”
