Three stars from Thursday's NBA playoff game: Veteran reminds us why he's a three-time All-Star

Randle was the engine behind the Timberwolves' first-half surge that put the game out out reach for Golden State. In the first 24 minutes, he scored 16 points, grabbed four rebounds and gave out four assists while the Wolves built a 17-point halftime lead. He turned into a distributor in the second half with seven assists, while shooting an efficient 4-of-6 from the floor.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards | 20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, one scary injury

When Anthony Edwards limped off the floor late in the second quarter after Golden State's Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his ankle, the Timberwolves' playoff future looked dire.

But Edwards returned for the second half looking none the worse for the ankle trauma, scoring 13 points in 19 second-half minutes. After the game, teammate Jaden McDaniels declared Edwards would have to be "damn near dead" to sit out, though he actually shot better after his injury, going 4-of-6 and helping snuff out a Warriors' comeback.

As long his ankle doesn't swell up after the game, Edwards looks poised for more playoff excellence. After all, he's not dead, so he'll be in the lineup until further notice.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker | 20 points, 4 3PM

The Timberwolves had the worst two-game stretch of three-point shooting in NBA history between Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers and Game 1 against the Warriors, going 12-of-76 from deep (15.8 percent). Nickeil Alexander-Walker was in a bad stretch of his own, shooting 5-of-25 in his first six playoff games.

That changed Thursday night. Alexander-Walker went 4-of-6 from behind the arc, also attacking the basket against a Warriors defense that shut down Minnesota in Game 1. "NAW" is an excellent perimeter defender, but when he can put up points as well, the Timberwolves are very tough to beat.