Anthony Edwards lifts Wolves to 2-1 lead vs. Warriors

Anthony Edwards poured in a game-high 36 points, Julius Randle had 24 as part of a triple-double and the Minnesota Timberwolves wrestled back home-court advantage in their second-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors with a 102-97 triumph Saturday night in San Francisco.

Game 4 in the Western Conference best-of-seven series is scheduled for Monday night in San Francisco, with the sixth-seeded Timberwolves leading 2-1.

Jimmy Butler III had a team-high 33 points for seventh-seeded Golden State, which played without star guard Stephen Curry, out with a strained left hamstring.

The tightly contested game saw the Warriors clinging within 84-82 before two game-disqualifying fouls on defensive ace Draymond Green within 18 seconds inside the final five minutes.

The Timberwolves took control from there, getting a key 3-pointer from Jaden McDaniels and a three-point play from Rudy Gobert, the latter creating a six-point cushion for the visitors with 2:05 to play.

A 3-pointer by Edwards, his fifth of the game, all but clinched Minnesota's second consecutive win - both with Curry out of the Golden State lineup - with 1:19 to go.

Edwards' 36 points were his second-most this postseason, topped only by a 43-point explosion in Game 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. He hit 13 of his 28 shots on Saturday.

Randle complemented his 24 points with 10 rebounds, a game-high 12 assists and three steals for the Timberwolves, who outshot the hosts 43.9 percent to 43.2 percent in a defensive struggle.

McDaniels added 15 points and Gobert had a game-high 13 rebounds for Minnesota, which went 2-1 on the road in its 4-1 first-round series win against the Lakers.

Butler's 33 points on 12-for-26 shooting were his most since he had 35 for the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals at Boston in 2023. He also found time for seven rebounds and a team-high seven assists.

Jonathan Kuminga, pressed into increased playing time as the Warriors looked to fill the void of Curry's regular scoring, backed Butler with a postseason career-high 30 points. He had totaled just 43 in Golden State's first nine playoff games.

Buddy Hield shot 4-for-8 on 3-pointers to account for a majority of his 14 points for the Warriors, while Brandin Podziemski collected a team-high eight rebounds on a night when he shot 1-for-10.

-Field Level Media