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MINNEAPOLIS — The series was over when Steph Curry strained his hamstring 13 minutes into Game 1, but the Warriors’ season officially ended on Wednesday night at the Target Center.
The Warriors’ defense, best in the league after the All-Star break, bent into a pretzel in Wednesday’s elimination game. Minnesota scored more than 30 points in each of the first three quarters with an overwhelming egalitarian approach and the Timberwolves made a closeout game look easy in a 121-110 victory.
Minnesota solved the math; all 121 of the Wolves’ points in Game 5 came either from 3-point range, in the paint, or at the foul line. Led by Julius Randle (29 points) and Anthony Edwards (22 points, 12 assists), the Timberwolves shot 63% from the field and 42% from 3-point range.
The Wolves won each of the four games Curry missed with the left hamstring strain he suffered in Game 1, sending the Warriors packing before Curry could get cleared for a possible return. The Wolves took no chances in letting that boogeyman loose.
“If we’re healthy, if all this and if all that, then it might be different,” Jimmy Butler said postgame. “We don’t know. But we’re going to take our chances, for sure, if Steph is out there. We’ll come back, figure this thing out next year, do the same thing.”
Golden State’s season started on the north shore of Oahu and ended in the land of 1,000 lakes. The Warriors really played two seasons in one: one before Butler and one after.
Before trading for Butler, Golden State was a floundering team going nowhere. The Warriors couldn’t score consistently enough to pencil in any wins on their schedule, as evidenced by losses to Brooklyn, San Antonio, and Toronto. After, they sauntered into every arena thinking they could win, and rightfully so.