Timberwolves Eliminate Warriors 121-110 in Game 5, Advance to Western Conference Finals

    Written by: Miles Jordan •

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    Anthony Edwards [5] splits Buddy Hield [7] and Pat Spencer [61] on drive to the basket.

    The Timberwolves are headed back to the Western Conference finals, and they did it in style.

    Julius Randle scored 29 points on 13-of-18 shooting and Anthony Edwards added 22 points and 12 assists to lead Minnesota to a 121-110 win over Golden State in Game 5, closing out the series and securing the franchise’s second straight conference finals appearance.

    “I just try to do my best to read the game in the best way I can,” Randle said. “They threw different coverages at us all series long.”

    The sixth-seeded Wolves overwhelmed the Warriors with relentless pace and efficient scoring, setting franchise postseason records for assists (36) and field goal percentage (62.8%). They made 36 of 47 two-point attempts (77%).

    Rudy Gobert anchored the paint with 17 points, Mike Conley chipped in 16 points and eight assists, and Donte DiVincenzo broke out of a slump with 13 points off the bench.

    Minnesota stretched its lead as high as 25 in the third quarter and held off a late Warriors push that cut it to 99-90 with just over seven minutes to play. Edwards responded with a dagger three, igniting chants of “Wolves in 5!” from the Target Center crowd.

    “There is no satisfaction,” Edwards said. “We just got here.”

    Golden State played the entire game without Stephen Curry, who remained sidelined with a hamstring strain. Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors with a playoff career-high 28 points, and Jonathan Kuminga added 26 off the bench, but the rest of the roster struggled to keep pace.

    “I don’t want to take anything away from what Minnesota just accomplished,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “No sense in even talking about Steph.”

    Minnesota will face the winner of the Denver-Oklahoma City series in the Western Conference finals. If Denver forces a Game 7 on Thursday, the Timberwolves could enjoy up to five days of rest before their next series begins.

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