T-Wolves reach 2nd straight WCF after knocking out Warriors
The Minnesota Timberwolves will return to the Western Conference finals for a second straight season after eliminating the Golden State Warriors with a 121-110 victory Wednesday.
Julius Randle led the Timberwolves in scoring with 29 points and eight rebounds, while Anthony Edwards added 22 points, 12 assists, and seven boards.
The Timberwolves recorded 36 assists in the win.
Minnesota won four straight after dropping the first game of the series. It will face either the Oklahoma City Thunder or Denver Nuggets in the conference finals, beginning the next round on the road.
Edwards said he feels "no satisfaction" with the team's playoff run so far, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
Minnesota reached the West finals as the 3-seed last year, beating the Nuggets and Phoenix Suns before losing to the Dallas Mavericks. Prior to last season, the franchise had reached the conference finals just once in 34 years of existence - in 2004.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said he issued a challenge to his team all season.
"Were you a Western Conference finals team, or were you a team that just happened to make the Western Conference finals," Finch said, per McMenamin.
Brandin Podziemski recorded 28 points, six rebounds, and four assists for the Warriors in Wednesday's loss. Jonathan Kuminga contributed 26 points off the bench.
Steve Kerr suffered his first playoff series defeat in five games or fewer since joining the Warriors in 2014, according to Sam Quinn of CBS Sports.
Stephen Curry missed the majority of the series after suffering a hamstring injury in Game 1. He was cleared for shooting drills and light on-court workouts in hopes of returning for a potential Game 6.
The Warriors went 48-34 in the regular season, boasting the league's best defense after the All-Star break and the acquisition of Jimmy Butler. The Warriors beat the Grizzlies in the play-in tournament to reach the postseason then topped the Houston Rockets in seven games in the first round.