Wolves down Warriors to clinch series

Julius Randle scored 29 points on 13-for-18 shooting to send the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals for the second straight year with a 121-110 Game 5 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.

Anthony Edwards had 22 points and 12 assists for the sixth-seeded Wolves, who will face the winner of the other West semifinal series between Denver and Oklahoma City next. They could get five days off if the Nuggets beat the Thunder on Thursday to force a Game 7.

Brandin Podziemski had a playoff career-high 28 points for the Warriors, who again played without star Stephen Curry because of the hamstring strain that forced him out of the second quarter in Game 1, taking the heart out of their entire offensive operation.

Jonathan Kuminga provided another energy boost off the bench with 26 points, but Podziemski's performance came too late, and the production from Jimmy Butler and Buddy Hield was consistently too little after they led the series-opening win. According to Sportradar, the Warriors hadn't lost four straight games in a single postseason since 1972.

Golden State presented far more of a defensive challenge than the Los Angeles Lakers did for Minnesota during their five-game series in the first round, but the collection of every-level scorers the Wolves can throw at an opponent when they're moving the ball and pushing the pace simply wore down the Warriors over the course of this series.

Rudy Gobert was a force around the rim with 17 points, Mike Conley had 16 points and eight assists, and Donte DiVincenzo snapped out of a slump with 13 points, as the Wolves shot 77 percent on 2-pointers (36 for 47).

Series close-out games can sometimes be the toughest to win, but the Wolves played with a ferocity that, when paired with their shooting touch, all but portended victory.

Randle kept up his superb postseason, providing a constant source of energy and production. After grabbing the rebound of Draymond Green's missed 3-pointer, Jaden McDaniels sent an outlet pass to Randle for a layup and a three-point play for a 62-47 lead that ignited the crowd.

Butler had 17 points for the Warriors, who whittled a 25-point deficit late in the third quarter down to 99-90 on a rare made 3-pointer by Moses Moody with 7:11 left. Edwards answered immediately with his own 3, and the lead was never below double digits again.

Agencies via Xinhua