Minnesota

Timberwolves-Warriors: 5 takeaways from Minnesota’s bounce-back Game 2

Published

7 months ago

May 9, 2025

Timberwolves-Warriors: 5 takeaways from Minnesota’s bounce-back Game 2

Anthony Edwards battles through injury, Julius Randle posts a double-double and Minnesota rolls to a 117-93 Game 2 victory.

MINNEAPOLIS – Never mind whatever it is that’s going on with zany road-team advantage over in the Eastern Conference. It was left to Oklahoma City first, then the Minnesota Timberwolves to impose some order out West on what began in this round as homecourt chaos.

The Wolves’ 117-93 victory over Golden State Thursday at Target Center wasn’t as bloated as what the Thunder did to Denver a night earlier. But it achieved the same thing, evening the conference semifinals series at 1-1 as the series switched cities.

Actually, Minnesota’s situation was a little more dire than OKC’s. Had the Wolves failed to beat the Warriors with Stephen Curry – after losing Game 1 despite a hamstring injury prematurely ending Curry’s night – even diehard fans might have winced at what likely would have come.

But that scenario (perhaps an updated version of former Wolf Jimmy Butler coming into the gym and punking the franchise again the way he notoriously did in 2018) did not happen.

Here are five takeaways from the game Minnesota didn’t dare lose, as the series shifts to San Francisco beginning with Game 3 on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

1. Wolves felt the urgency and responded

Everything has been fast-tracked in this series. First, the opposing coaches began lobbying the officials for calls after just one game. And Minnesota already was feeling must-win urgency in Game 2.

To their credit, the Wolves met the challenge. They scored the game’s first 13 points, led 20-5 deep in the opening quarter and, by that time, had held Golden State to 2-for-12 shooting (1-for-8 on 3s) and even 0-for-2 from the foul line.

Not having Curry on the court for a defense is like not having vegetables on your plate when you’re 12.

The Wolves went wire-to-wire with the lead, pumping it to 22 in the second quarter and 25 near the end. Julius Randle was their pillar, with 24 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists. Jaden McDaniels was a two-way star, helping pester Butler into just 17 points on a night the Warriors needed way more from the “Playoff” guy. McDaniels scored 16 points himself and added three steals and three blocks.

The Wolves sagged in the third quarter, getting sloppy with the ball as their lead got chiseled to 62-55 at 6:57. But a pair of 3-pointers and the Warriors’ intermittent offense pushed the margin back into double figures.

2. Kerr throws players at wall, 2 of ’em stick

Losing Curry is like snagging a fancy sweater – things can unravel fast. He is the hub and the focus of Golden State’s offense, a player whose standard rest within games is challenging enough to cover for. Losing him for long stretches, whole games or, in this case, for at least a week to his hamstring injury requires serious triage.

“Part of the game plan coming in was to play a lot of people and we did,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We have to figure out what we’re going to be able to do in this series without Steph. We gave a lot of people a lot of chances and some guys really stepped up.”

Stephen Curry’s hamstring injury has caused cascading effects on the Warriors rotation, and the Wolves take advantage in Game 2.

Two in particular: Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis. Jackson-Davis is a deep reserve big man who hit all six of shots, clogged the middle defensively and scored 15 points. Kuminga, 22, is a thoroughbred athlete and long seen as part of Golden State’s future. Wrapping his fourth NBA season, he fell out of the rotation in April, a negative heading into restricted free agency. Kuminga scored a team-high 18 off the bench.

“We’ve got to figure out rotations and who we start, but they’re going to be a part of it,” Kerr said after his personnel experiment. “We’ve got to find some better ways to score.”

3. Edwards takes licking, keeps ticking

For several uneasy minutes to close the first half, it looked this might turn into a series of chess – as in, key pieces taken off the board for both sides. Midway through the second quarter, Edwards hit the floor and had his left ankle stepped on by Golden State’s Jackson-Davis.

As the action shifted to the other end, Edwards stayed down. Coach Chris Finch called a timeout and his star shooting guard had to be helped to the locker room, where he stayed through halftime.

“This one I was really worried about,” said Finch, when asked about Edwards’ knack of bouncing back from injuries within games. “I was planning on not seeing him for the rest of the game, to be honest with you.”

Edwards did come back, though. He looked shaky in the third, but scored 10 in the fourth. It wasn’t the showtime folks have been expecting, but he was moving all right. He has 48 hours for treatment before Game 3 and, remember, he’s a fast-healing 23-year-old.

“One thing about Ant is he’s not gonna sit out,” teammate Nickeil Alexander-Walker said. “He’s got to be damn near dead.”

4. Draymond infractions inch toward danger zone

Warriors center Draymond Green has positioned himself on the cusp of potential suspension, picking up yet another technical foul with 8:46 to play in the second quarter.

Green had the ball, with Minnesota’s Naz Reid guarding him from behind, when Reid reached and fouled. Green flailed his arms in a way that banged Reid in the head.

Referee’s verdict: Foul on Reid, dead-ball technical on Green. At which point, Green went ballistic. But the game moved on, and Green now sits within two technical-foul points of a 1-game exile.

“He’s going to have to be careful now. We need him,” Kerr said.

5. Minnesota regresses from mean history

The Wolves had set a new NBA low for 3-point accuracy after Game 1. Combined with their 7-for-47 work in the clincher over the Lakers last week, Minnesota’s 5-for-29 in Game 1 Tuesday set an NBA low for consecutive playoff performances: 12-for-76, just 15.7%.

This time, with better shot selection and floor spacing, they took 37 and hit 16, a robust 43.2%. At 32.1% for the postseason, they still have work to do to approach their 37.7% accuracy of the regular season, which ranked fourth.

* * *

Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.

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Minnesota

Perennial candidate Kendall Qualls wins Minnesota GOP gubernatorial straw poll

Published

4 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Perennial candidate Kendall Qualls wins Minnesota GOP gubernatorial straw poll

Kendall Qualls, Army veteran, former health care executive and anti-anti-racist activist, won the Minnesota Republican gubernatorial straw poll on Saturday, beating House Speaker Lisa Demuth, MyPillow guy Mike Lindell and a long list of other names. The poll of the party’s State Central Committee offers the first look at how the candidates in the 2026 […]

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Minnesota weather: How cold it got on Saturday

Published

16 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Minnesota weather: How cold it got on Saturday

article

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Temperatures dropped into the negative Saturday, with the coldest temperatures in the morning.

How cold it got in Minnesota Saturday

By the numbers:

Here is how cold the temperatures got in Minnesota:

Hinckley: -20 degrees
Bemidji: -20 degrees
Ely: -18 degrees
Brainerd: -18 degrees
Detroit Lakes: -18 degrees
Hibbing: -17 degrees
International Falls: -17 degrees
Duluth: -16 degrees
Alexandria: -12 degrees
St. Cloud: -12 degrees
Cambridge: -11 degrees
Grand Marais: -10 degrees
Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport: -6 degrees
Red Wing: -6 degrees
Morris: -6 degrees
Hutchinson: -5 degrees
Rochester: -5 degrees
Mankato: -3 degrees
Windom: 0 degrees
Marshall: 0 degrees

Here are the lowest wind chills across Minnesota from Saturday:

Bemidji: -37 degrees
Ely: -35 degrees
Duluth: -34 degrees
Brainerd: -32 degrees
Detroit Lakes: -32 degrees
Hibbing: -31 degrees
Alexandria: -29 degrees
Hinckley: -27 degrees
Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport: -24 degrees
St. Cloud: -24 degrees
Willmar: -22 degrees
Cambridge-21 degrees
Grand Marais: -21 degrees
Hutchinson: -21 deegres
Morris: -20 degrees
Faribault: -18 degrees
Mankato: -18 degrees
Marshall: -17 degrees
Red Wing: -16 degrees
Owatonna: -16 degrees
Windom-12 degrees

Cold continues Sunday

What’s next:

The Twin Cities are under a cold weather advisory that is expected to last through Sunday morning, so residents should prepare for frigid conditions if they have plans to be outdoors.

Sunday will be slightly less frigid with temperatures climbing above zero. However, it will still feel like 10 below zero in the afternoon.

Milder and warmer temperatures are expected to return for the work week.

Winter WeatherMinnesota

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Minnesota

Minnesota Wild acquires NHL star Quinn Hughes from Vancouver Canucks in a blockbuster trade

Published

1 day ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Minnesota Wild acquires NHL star Quinn Hughes from Vancouver Canucks in a blockbuster trade

The Minnesota Wild made an all-in move for one of the NHL’s best players in his prime, acquiring defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in a blockbuster trade — their boldest action yet toward ending a decade-long skid of playoff series defeats.

The teams announced the seismic move on Friday night, after the 2024 Norris Trophy winner as the league’s top defenseman had been the most talked-about trade candidate over the past couple of weeks. Minnesota sent center Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, winger Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick in the 2026 draft to suddenly rebuilding Vancouver to complete the deal.

The trade was the second major swap of the day, after two-time Stanley Cup Final runner-up Edmonton finally made a move for a goaltender, acquiring Tristan Jarry from Pittsburgh.

Rossi (24), Ohgren (21) and Buium (20) fit the mold of the young talent the Canucks were speculated to be targeting if they were going to trade Hughes. Rossi (2020), Ohgren (2022) and Buium (2024) were all recent first-round draft picks by the Wild.

“Quinn played hard, led by example and did a lot of very good things for the Canucks,” Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin said. “Trading away a player of this caliber is never an easy decision to make, but it was one we had to do to make our team better. We are so excited to add a solid centre in Marco, a good young blueliner in Zeev and a versatile forward in Liam. This year’s draft is a strong one, so acquiring a first-round pick was also a big part of this deal.”

Hughes had no trade-blocking protection in his current deal that pays him an average of $7.85 million annually. Hughes, who is 26 and widely considered the best at player on the blue line behind only Colorado’s Cale Makar, is signed through the 2026-27 season before he can become an unrestricted free agent.

The Wild will not be allowed to extend Hughes until July 1, and it’s unclear if he would consider signing a new contract with them. There has been plenty of buzz around the league that Quinn wants to play with his brothers, Jack and Luke, with the New Jersey Devils.

They could potentially be teammates on the U.S. Olympic team, either in February in Milan or in 2030. Wild general manager Bill Guerin runs USA Hockey’s management team.

The long-term outlook for Hughes can wait until next summer, though. The Wild are focused on challenging the two top teams ahead of them in the loaded Central Division, rivals that happen to also have the top two records in the NHL: Colorado and Dallas.

The season-long celebration of the franchise’s 25th anniversary would be a lot more meaningful if the Wild can finally advance in the playoffs, having lost nine straight series after a first-round victory over St. Louis in 2015. The Wild have passed the second round just once in their entire existence, when they were swept in the Western Conference finals by Anaheim in 2003.

Hughes is a significant upgrade to Minnesota’s blue line, anchored by captain and 16-year veteran Jared Spurgeon, smooth-skating 14-year veteran Jonas Brodin and young stalwart Brock Faber. The emergence of rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt this season has given the Wild a reliable tandem with Filip Gustavsson in the net, with star winger Kirill Kaprizov leading the attack after recently signing the richest contract in hockey history to stay in the “State of Hockey” through 2034.

After a rough start, the Wild are 14-3-2 since Nov. 1. They host Ottawa on Saturday and Boston on Sunday night, with the latter game likely the more realistic one for Hughes to debut.

Hughes had two goals, 21 assists and 32 blocked shots in 23 games this season with the last-in-the-NHL Canucks. When he won the Norris Trophy two seasons ago, Hughes had 17 goals and 75 assists, both single-season franchise records for defensemen and the most among all blue liners in the league. Drafted seventh overall in 2018 out of Michigan, the native of Orlando, Florida, spent time growing up in the Boston and Toronto areas while his father, a hockey coach, moved around.

This was Hughes’ third season as Vancouver’s captain, and his abrupt exit paves the way for more change 11 months since the trade of J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers and in the aftermath of coach Rick Tocchet’s departure.

“With the circumstances surrounding J.T. and now Quinn, we are fortunate to acquire these very good young players from Minnesota,” Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said. “They will be a key part of the rebuild that we are currently in, giving us a bright future moving forward. The hockey club will continue to build with talented young players using that as a blueprint to become a contender sooner rather than later.”

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