Lakers<\/a> series, and the ankle tweak in Game 2 against the Warriors surely didn\u2019t help the situation. He returned, but the explosiveness just wasn\u2019t there. This isn\u2019t 100% Ant. This is 85% Ant\u2014which is still terrifying, but it\u2019s not enough to solo a playoff game.<\/p>\nThat means it\u2019s Julius Time.<\/p>\n
Randle has been the Wolves\u2019 most consistent player over the past three games\u201423 in the Lakers closeout, 18 in Game 1, and a quiet takeover performance in Game 2: 24 points, 11 assists, 7 boards, and an aura of \u201cI got this\u201d that stabilized the offense.<\/p>\n
Say what you will about the Karl-Anthony Towns era (and I\u2019m sure we all have a few thoughts), but there\u2019s no question: Julius has brought a different vibe. Less finesse, more force. Less existential drama, more old-school wrecking ball. He\u2019s been a godsend for a team that needed someone to bridge the gap between Ant\u2019s generational ceiling and Gobert\u2019s rim-running floor.<\/p>\n
With Ant hobbled, this series is begging for Randle to be the grown man in the room. Bully Jimmy Butler in the post. Exploit Golden State\u2019s size mismatch. Set the tone. If he keeps this up, we\u2019re talking about a legitimate postseason legacy in the making.<\/p>\n
2: Don\u2019t Let the Gas Off<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve seen this Wolves movie before. Hell, we\u2019ve lived it. Big win? Media praise? National attention? Suddenly they lose to a team missing three starters, and Jim Pete and Grady are asking why Minnesota can\u2019t get out of its own way.<\/p>\n
Game 2 was a great bounce-back. But if they walk into the Chase Center thinking they\u2019ve got this thing wrapped up because Steph\u2019s on the shelf and Buddy Hield is Golden State\u2019s most explosive player, they\u2019re toast.<\/p>\n
The Warriors are too proud. Too experienced. Too annoying. If you give them any life, they\u2019ll make you pay. Minnesota has to treat Game 3 like a Game 7. Smother them. Strangle the offense. Win the hustle battles. Make it clear\u2014this series is over unless Golden State pulls off a miracle.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t the time for hero ball. Or lazy rotations. Or missed box outs. This is the moment you bury a wounded dynasty and move one step closer to the franchise\u2019s second Western Conference Finals in 20 years.<\/p>\n
3: Jaden McDaniels, Defensive Warden<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s not overcomplicate this\u2014Jaden McDaniels is a menace. With Steph sidelined, the Wolves deployed him to suffocate Jimmy Butler, and he did just that. Gone were the Buddy Hield flamethrowers from Game 1. In their place? Hand-in-the-face bricks and contested drives.<\/p>\n
McDaniels went 7-for-10 on offense and added 16 points, but it was his defense that tilted the game. He was everywhere. Playing like a guy who spent the flight home from Game 1 watching film like it was the Zapruder tape.<\/p>\n
In Game 3, he needs to do it again. Without Steph, Golden State\u2019s offense runs on Jimmy\u2019s rim pressure and Hield\u2019s perimeter threats. Cut those off, and they\u2019re left with Draymond Green trying to cook from 17 feet. Spoiler alert: that\u2019s not going to work.<\/p>\n
4: Don\u2019t Fall for the Draymond Trap<\/p>\n
You know it\u2019s coming. You know Draymond is going to try something\u2014an elbow, a shove, a stray foot that somehow ends up in Rudy Gobert\u2019s midsection. This is what he does. And he\u2019s already down one T for the Naz Reid shot to the head in Game 2.<\/p>\n
The only thing more dangerous than Draymond when he\u2019s locked in, is Draymond when he\u2019s spiraling. He wants a tech. He wants chaos. Because chaos is his oxygen. If he can pull Rudy or Naz or even Julius into a dust-up that gets someone suspended or tossed, the Warriors have a shot.<\/p>\n
The Wolves have to be smarter. Cooler. More professional. No techs. No flexing in someone\u2019s face. Just win the game and let Draymond do Draymond things in an empty tunnel somewhere.<\/p>\n
5: Make It a Team Effort<\/p>\n
Minnesota can\u2019t rely on Game 3 being the Ant Show\u2014not with that ankle. And that\u2019s ok. What Game 2 showed us is that this team has depth. Real, terrifying, matchup-busting depth.<\/p>\n
NAW had 20 points and hit four threes.
\nDonte DiVincenzo broke out of his slump and drilled three of his own.
\nNaz Reid was serviceable with 11 points and a steady hand.
\nThe bench closed out the game while the starters lounged on the bench.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how you win playoff series. When your star is hurt, and the shots aren\u2019t falling early, you need guys two through eight to step up. If they bring the same energy in Game 3, Minnesota might not just win\u2014they might roll.<\/p>\n
Bottom Line: Strike Now<\/p>\n
It\u2019s unfortunate we won\u2019t see peak Steph vs. peak Ant in this series (at least not yet). But this is the postseason. Breaks happen. Matchups shift. Timelines get weird.<\/p>\n
The Wolves don\u2019t have to apologize for Steph\u2019s hamstring. They just need to take advantage.<\/p>\n
This is their shot to go up 2-1 with a chance to bury Golden State before the MVP comes limping back. If they win Game 3 and apply the same suffocating pressure in Game 4, this thing could be over before Steph even has time to lace up.<\/p>\n
Minnesota can\u2019t hesitate now. They can\u2019t think about how far they\u2019ve come or how historic this all feels. They just have to do what Game 2 proved they\u2019re capable of\u2014play hard, play smart, and put this team away.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s see if they can do it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors – Game 3Date: May 10th, 2025Time: 7:30 PM CDTLocation: Chase CenterTelevision Coverage:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22095,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3786],"tags":[2269,7,1076,28,142,479,164,4025,4024,1077,6,11,34,1366,308,1369,255],"class_list":{"0":"post-22094","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golden-state-warriors","8":"tag-at","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-canis","11":"tag-front-page","12":"tag-game","13":"tag-golden-state","14":"tag-golden-state-warriors","15":"tag-goldenstate","16":"tag-goldenstatewarriors","17":"tag-hoopus","18":"tag-nba","19":"tag-nba-playoffs","20":"tag-playoffs","21":"tag-preview","22":"tag-timberwolves","23":"tag-timberwolves-game-previews","24":"tag-warriors"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114480222611274266","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22094\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}