Wolves book return trip to Western Conference finals with Game 5 win over Warriors

Ant-Man. Batman. Superman. Wolves in 5.

The Minnesota Timberwolves booked a return trip to the Western Conference finals by beating the Golden State Warriors 121-110 in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinal series Wednesday night at Target Center in Minneapolis, clinching a 4-1 series win. It marks the first time in 21 years the Wolves have closed out a playoff series at Target Center.

It's also be the first time in franchise history the Timberwolves have made the Western Conference finals in back-to-back seasons. They'll face the winner of the other Western Conference semifinal between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets. The Thunder currently lead that series 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT Thursday night.

On Wednesday, it was all Timberwolves from the get-go. Mike Conley hit a 3-pointer that broke a 5-5 tie early in the first quarter, and Minnesota never trailed again. The lead was seven by the end of the quarter and 15 by the halftime break.

It was one of Minnesota's more balanced games of the postseason as six players finished in double figures, led by Julius Randle's game-high 29 points. The Warriors threw double teams at Anthony Edwards, who made the right play time and time again. He finished with 22 points on efficient 7-for-13 shooting, 12 assists and seven rebounds.

Edwards also became the sixth-youngest player to reach 1,000 playoff points in his career, reaching the milestone with a 3 in the third quarter. Only Kobe Bryant, Tony Parker, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James and Kevin Durant have done so faster.

Rudy Gobert got involved early in a game — while not as dominant — was reminiscent to Game 5 of Minnesota's first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers. He scored eight in the first frame and finished with 17 and eight boards.

Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga did their best to keep the Warriors within reach, scoring 28 and 26 points, respectively, but it simply wasn't enough to match Minnesota's firepower. The Warriors cut what was once a 25-point deficit down to single digits on a Moses Moody 3 in the fourth quarter, but they never truly threatened a comeback.

It was another quiet game from Jimmy Butler, who attempted just 11 shots and finished with 17 points.

Conley, meanwhile, turned in a vintage performance and was key to the strong start. He scored 11 points in the first half and knocked down four shots from 3-point range overall. He finished with 16 points, eight assists and six boards. Donte DiVincenzo found his rhythm offensively, shooting 5 for 7 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3, on his way to 13 points.

Jaden McDaniels added 14 points.

The Wolves shot 49 for 78 from the field overall (63%) and 13 for 31 from 3-point range (42%). They had 36 assists, 20 of which came in the first half, a franchise record for most assists in a half of a playoff game. Everyone was contributing to a balanced closeout effort from the Wolves that results in the franchise once again reaching new heights.

Now right around the corner is their second straight trip to the Western Conference finals.

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