For 2 consecutive years, it has entered the West Finals! Curry is injured, Edwards 22+7+12, the Timberwolves eliminated the Warriors with a total score of 4-1

On May 15, Beijing time, the 2024-25 NBA playoffs Western Conference semifinals G5, the Warriors played away against the Timberwolves, and Stephen Curry missed the game due to a first-degree hamstring strain in his left leg. In the end, the Warriors lost to the Timberwolves 110-121, and the Warriors were eliminated by the Timberwolves with a score of 1-4, and the Timberwolves entered the Western Conference Finals, which is also the team's second consecutive season to the Western Conference Finals.

Statistics

Warriors: Butler 17 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals, Dream Green 10 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, Podzemski 28 points, Kuminga 26 points

Timberwolves: Edwards 22 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks, Randle 29 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, Gobert 17 points and 8 rebounds, Conley 16 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists, DiVincenzo 13 points, McDaniels 14 points

Background

The Warriors collapsed again in the third quarter of the G4 game, and finally lost to the Timberwolves 110-117, and are currently 1-3 behind. Warriors coach Kerr admitted that Curry's injury has had a huge impact on the team, with several players, including Podzemski and Dream, struggling to shoot. The Warriors have officially updated Curry's injury review, which shows that he is recovering well, and he will be re-examined this Sunday, May 18, Beijing time. If the Warriors win G5, Curry is expected to return in G6. The Timberwolves currently have the series point in hand, and the team has been emphasizing the importance of offense, with star Edwards averaging 27.3 points per game in the series and Randle averaging 24.3 points per game. Randle said everyone on the team knows their goal is to reach the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive season.

Game recap

After the opening, the two sides quickly got into the game, and the Timberwolves who were playing at home had a slight advantage, and Edwards scored three points to give the Timberwolves a 15-9 lead. At 6:22, Butler relied on free throws to score his first point of the game, and Kuminga scored seven points in a row to help the Warriors narrow the gap to two points. Gobert's two consecutive dunks immediately ignited the atmosphere at home, and at the end of the first quarter, the Timberwolves led the Warriors 30-23.

Butler, who shot 0 from 1 in the first quarter, hit a 2+1 at the beginning of the second quarter, but the Timberwolves went on an 8-3 offensive run to rewrite the score to 38-29. The Warriors did not show weakness, and immediately responded with a wave of 9-3 small climax, once again narrowing the gap to 3 points. At the critical moment, Conley scored three goals in a row, including two three-pointers, to help the Timberwolves regain a nine-point advantage. In the final three minutes of the quarter, the Timberwolves once again had the upper hand on the offensive end. At the end of the first half, the Timberwolves led the Warriors 62-47.

In the second half, at 9 minutes and 49 seconds, Edwards assisted in Conley's three-point shooting, and his career playoff total points reached 1,002 points, becoming the second youngest player in Timberwolves history to exceed 1,000 playoff points and NBA all-time playoffs to reach 1,000 points. The Warriors continued to chase points, and Boje's three-pointer helped the Warriors chase the score to 62-74. However, back-to-back dunks from Gobert, DiVincenzo and outside shooting from Edwards gave the Timberwolves a 93-72 lead over the Warriors at the end of the third quarter.

In the final quarter, the Warriors narrowed the gap to 9 points with a wave of 18-6 offense. At the critical moment, Edwards used a three-pointer to help the Timberwolves stabilize the morale of the army. Daniels then dunked the ball to the basket, and by that time the Timberwolves had six players in double figures, extending the advantage to double digits and extending the advantage into the end of the game. In the end, the Timberwolves eliminated the Warriors and broke into the Western Conference finals.

Both sides start

Warriors: Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Buddy Hield, Tress Jackson Davis, Blandin Podzemski

Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley