Once Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves got going on Monday night, there was no stopping them.
Edwards and the Timberwolves erupted in the second half at the Chase Center to pick up a 117-110 win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinals series. That gave the Timberwolves a commanding 3-1 lead in the series, and now they are just one win away from reaching the conference finals for a second straight season. That’s something that has never happened for the franchise.
The Warriors have now lost three straight games for the first time in 2025. They have lost three straight games in the playoffs only one other time in the Steve Kerr era, too. You may remember the 2016 NBA Finals.
Both teams were locked up in the first two quarters. The Warriors took just a two-point lead into the break at halftime after ending the second quarter on a 14-6 run — which would’ve been bigger had Edwards not drilled a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer over both Draymond Green and Gary Payton. That bucket was the 10th from behind the arc for the Timberwolves in the first 24 minutes.
Finally, Edwards and the Timberwolves took off. They opened the third quarter on a 22-8 tear and then rattled off a 17-0 run that shut down the Warriors almost completely. Edwards couldn’t miss, either. He dropped 16 of his 30 points in the third period and hit three 3-pointers.
The Timberwolves held Golden State to just 17 points in the third quarter and ended the period on a 29-9 run to break open a 20-point lead. The game, remarkably, was tied at the eight-minute mark of the third quarter.
By that point, it was far too late for the Warriors to mount a meaningful comeback — though they did go on a bit of a run in garbage time, thanks to Moses Moody, Quinten Post and Gui Santos hitting the team’s first 3-pointers of the half. The Timberwolves, though, still held on to grab the seven-point win despite committing 12 turnovers in the fourth quarter.
Edwards shot 11 of 21 from the field and 6 of 11 from the 3-point line while dropping his 30 points. Julius Randle added 31 points, too. The Timberwolves shot nearly 50% from the floor and 47% from behind the arc.
Jonathan Kuminga led Golden State with his 23 points off the bench. Draymond Green finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, and Buddy Hield added 13 points. The Warriors shot just 8 of 27 from the 3-point line. Jimmy Butler was almost a non-factor, too. Butler had just 14 points and attempted nine shots on the night.
The Warriors are still without star Stephen Curry, who was ruled out until at least Game 6 after he suffered a hamstring strain in Game 1 of the series. It’s the first strained muscle of Curry’s career, so the Warriors don’t have a specific timeline for his recovery. The Warriors have lost three straight games now without him available.
The Warriors will have to find a way to win without Curry on Wednesday night in Minnesota. Otherwise, Curry’s campaign is over and the Warriors will be headed home early.
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