The Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to a 117-93 victory over the Golden State Warriors to level their National Basketball Association (NBA) Western Conference semi-final at 1-1 on Thursday evening.
Julius Randle scored 24 points and provided 11 assists in Minneapolis while Anthony Edwards added 20 points and nine rebounds and Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 20 points from the bench.
Edwards said the Timberwolves watched footage of game one to help them prepare for the second match in the best-of-seven series.
“We saw that it wasn’t just that we didn’t make shots, it was our defensive pressure and intensity; we didn’t bring it,” he said.
Minnesota started the game on a 25-7 run, but the Warriors closed the gap to 62-55 in the third quarter.
“We looked a lot more like ourselves,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said.
“The start was great, that’s what we needed to set the tone. We were pretty consistent with everything other than the beginning of the second half.
“Other than that, it was exactly the response that we needed.”
Jonathan Kuminga led the Warriors scoring with 18 points while Jimmy Butler III tallied 17.
Stephen Curry watched from the bench after he injured his left hamstring in game one. The Warriors point guard is expected to miss at least a week.
The Timberwolves suffered an injury scare when Edwards limped off the court in the second quarter with a left ankle issue, but he returned to start the second half.
Bbc.com
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