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Timberwolves Tie Series With Game 2 Victory Over Warriors
Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

With their leader Stephen Curry on the sideline with a hamstring injury, the Golden State Warriors were already considered underdogs heading into Thursday night’s Game 2 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Curry’s absence proved to be a tremendous one as the Timberwolves controlled the entire game and secured a 117-93 victory.

Minnesota hit the court with confidence and jumped out to a 13-0 lead, much to the delight of the electric Minnesota crowd. The Warriors’ offense looked deflated without Curry on the court and were put in mismatches all night, despite being the first playoff team to play 14 different players in a game since at least 1998.

While Golden State struggled to score consistently, the Wolves’ offense wasn’t necessarily scorching until the second half. Minnesota just had too many elite defenders that were swarming the Warriors’ offense, which was now being run by younger and less experienced players than usual.

Edwards went down with a scary left ankle injury in the second quarter and had to be helped to the locker room. Luckily, the injury was deemed a simple sprain and Edwards was able to return for the second half like normal.

The Warriors were able to cut the deficit to just seven in the third quarter, but Minnesota’s lengthy defense maintained control of the game and secured the much-needed win.

Julius Randle led the way with a strong 24 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds while Edwards had 20 points, nine rebounds and three steals.

For the Warriors, Johnathan Kuminga had a team-high 18 points off the bench to go along with Jimmy Butler‘s 17 points and seven rebounds.

With Edwards’ ankle injury seemingly minor, the Wolves will now look to steal a win on the road in Game 3 on Saturday.

This article first appeared on Ball Exclusives and was syndicated with permission.

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