For the first time in the Anthony Edwards era, the Timberwolves had an opportunity to close out a playoff series in Target Center.
The pressure and the emotion of the moment in games like this can weigh on a team, especially one that hasn’t been in this position before. But despite some hairy moments in the fourth quarter, the Wolves allowed the home fans to celebrate Wednesday with an imperfect 121-110 victory.
They advance to the Western Conference finals to take on either Denver or Oklahoma City and are four wins from making the first finals appearance in team history. In the process, the Wolves vanquished an old foe in Jimmy Butler, while ending the series before Stephen Curry (strained left hamstring) could return from his injury.
Edwards helped bring it about with 22 points and 12 assists.
How it happened
The Wolves picked the perfect moment to have one of their best shooting nights of the season. Instead of letting the adrenaline overwhelm them, they harnessed their emotions the right way. The Wolves shot 63%; they were at 66% through three quarters. Their hot shooting offset their high number of turnovers (21).
After leading by 25 in the third quarter, the Wolves let Golden State back in it early in the fourth. The Warriors cut the lead to nine behind 26 points from Brandin Podziemski, but the Wolves got it together with some easy buckets to push the lead back into double digits.
What it means
The Wolves are off to the Western Conference finals for the second consecutive season and just the third time in franchise history. Despite a crowded Western Conference, the Wolves have emerged as one of the top teams in the league again.
The controversial trade of Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, done in the long-term interest of the team’s luxury-tax situation, didn’t cost them in the short term, as the Wolves are right back where they ended last season.
