NBA superstar Steph Curry watched from the sidelines as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat his Golden State Warriors 117-93 to tie their second-round playoff series at one game apiece.
Curry missed the game with a hamstring injury.
Julius Randle scored 24 points and 11 assists to lead the Timberwolves to victory. Without Curry to worry about, the Wolves had an easier time keeping shooters Buddy Hield and Brandin Podziemski quiet.
The Warriors put up their lowest first-quarter score (15) in the playoffs since Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals, when they had 11 in a loss to Cleveland.
“We have to figure out what we’re going to be able to do in this series without Steph,” coach Steve Kerr said. “So we gave a lot of people a lot of chances, and some guys really stepped up.
“The guys obviously revere Steph, and they love his presence and that’ll matter to us.”
Draymond Green picked up his fifth technical foul of the playoffs, two short of an automatic one-game suspension.
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was left writhing in pain on the floor with a sprained ankle.
“This one, I was really worried about, actually,” coach Chris Finch said. “There are lots of ways being an elite athlete pays off. Being able to shake those things off is certainly one of them. But this one, I was really planning on not seeing him the rest of the game, to be honest with you.”
Edwards managed to make it back, causing a roar from the crowd when he walked back onto the court for warmups right before the start of the second half. The 23-year-old finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals.
“That one was crazy,” Edwards said. “But I’ll be all right.”
The sides next meet on Saturday night.
