The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Golden State Warriors 117-110 Monday night, taking a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals. Earlier in the night, the New York Knicks secured another comeback victory over the Boston Celtics, winning 121-113 to also take a 3-1 series lead.
Golden State led at halftime, but by the end of the third quarter, the Timberwolves had flipped a two-point deficit into a 20-point lead with the play of Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, who combined for 61 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the win.
The Warriors dropped their third straight game without Steph Curry, who sustained a hamstring injury during Game 1. A Golden State win would have meant a guaranteed Game 6 Sunday in San Francisco, which could have been enough time for Curry to potentially return to the court. The Warriors, however, now face a win-or-go-home Game 5 in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
In New York, the Knicks clawed their way back from down 14 in the third quarter to best the Celtics in another close win.
Boston lost more than just a game. Jayson Tatum exited late in the fourth quarter after sustaining a non-contact lower-leg injury. After stepping back in preparation to cut to the ball, Tatum suffered the injury, fell to the floor and had to be helped to the locker room. He did not put any weight on his right foot. He was later shown on the ESPN broadcast in a wheelchair. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters late Monday that Tatum will undergo an MRI on Tuesday.
The Knicks, who came back from a 20-point deficit in Game 1 and Game 2, started the fourth quarter with an uncharacteristic lead. In a back-and-forth final frame, NBA Clutch Player of the Year Jalen Brunson took control and nailed two straight buckets to give the Knicks a 109-104 advantage. It was a lead the Knicks never relinquished.
Brunson paced the Knicks with 39 points. Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns each added 23 points, and OG Anunoby had 20. For the Celtics, Tatum finished with 42 points, Derrick White scored 23 and Jaylen Brown had 20.
Timberwolves 117, Warriors 110
(Timberwolves lead series 3-1)
Golden State’s defense begins to falter
In the aftermath of Curry’s hamstring injury, Golden State coach Steve Kerr pointed to the other end of the floor when asked about the Warriors’ ability to survive long enough to get Curry back in this series.
“We think we have the best defense in the NBA,” he said. “That’s been proven over the last couple months.”
It held up decently in Game 3, delivering the Warriors a fighting chance before a late fade. But their inability to score has slowly squeezed the life out of their strength. The Timberwolves finally got loose in Game 4, putting up 27, 31 and 39 points in the first three quarters, progressively finding a greater groove against a group of undersized-but-proud defenders who appear to be accepting the inevitable end of their season.
The Warriors are down 3-1 and flying back to Minneapolis on one day of rest before an elimination game — presumably without Curry, whose 13 minutes (and 13 points) in this series were the high point. They were up 30-20 when he left. They’ve been unable to score since, finishing below 100 points in the first three games and barely scraping past 100 during the mop-up portion of Monday’s programming.
But the belief within the Warriors was in their ability to hold Minnesota down in the 85-to-95 range. It hasn’t happened. The Timberwolves scored 102 in Game 3. Then they popped the Warriors’ defense for 117 and made 16 3-pointers in Game 4. — Anthony Slater, Warriors senior writer
Minnesota turns it on in the second half
The Timberwolves are one victory away from their second straight trip to the Western Conference finals, something the team has never done in more than 35 years in the NBA.
The Wolves came to the Bay Area determined to take both games in an effort to get this series over with as soon as possible. They also wanted to make it as difficult as possible for Curry to return. Like most of the games in this series, it didn’t look good early or late, but the Wolves found enough in the second half to pull away from a short-handed team.
Minnesota trailed at halftime thanks to a 25-15 advantage for the Warriors on the glass and a 17-8 lead in free throws made. The Warriors were working harder and playing smarter than the Wolves.
But Edwards found his lane in the second half, erupting for 16 of his 30 points in the third quarter to wrestle back control of the game and the series. Minnesota outscored Golden State 39-17 in the third quarter, finally figuring out a Warriors defense that had flummoxed it for much of the series.
The Wolves now will come home for a chance to close out the series in Game 5 on Wednesday. — Jon Krawczynski, Timberwolves senior writer
Randle’s early surge
Where would the Wolves be without Julius Randle?
While the rest of the Wolves offense flailed away in the first half, Randle scored 19 of his team-high 31 points in the half to keep them afloat. He hit his first three 3s and kept responding to Golden State’s toughness with his own, buying time until Edwards exploded in the second half. Randle’s 10 points in the opening period gave him 62 first-quarter points for the playoffs. Only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray and Tatum have more.
It’s been a breakout postseason for Randle, who entered it with questions after struggling in the first two trips of his career with New York. But he is fully healthy, something that wasn’t the case when he labored through two rounds on a bad ankle in 2023. He finished Monday with 31 points and five rebounds.
Edwards has been Minnesota’s most explosive performer, but Randle has been the team’s most consistent player, an invaluable member of the group as the Wolves are on the brink of the first conference finals of his career. — Krawczynski
Knicks 121, Celtics 113
(Knicks lead series 3-1)
Not a Celtics letdown, but a Knicks comeback
In Game 1, the Celtics led by 20. The Knicks won by three.
In Game 2, the Celtics led by 20. The Knicks won by one.
In Game 4, the Celtics led by 14. The Knicks won by eight.
But this night was different from the first two. In letting go of 20-point leads to begin the series, the Celtics seemed at fault. They took poor shots, and they missed them. The offense went stagnant. That wasn’t the case on Monday.
Tatum, before his injury, drilled tough shot after tough shot. Boston threw the kitchen sink at Brunson. It didn’t matter. This game was not a Celtics letdown; it was a Knicks comeback.
Brunson took over in the second half, cruising to 26 points over the final two quarters. Anunoby hit timely shots. Towns played tough defense, switching onto Tatum and feasting on the boards, as did Mitchell Robinson. This was the best basketball the Knicks have played all postseason.
And now, they are one win away from their first conference-finals appearance in a quarter of a century. — Fred Katz, senior NBA writer
Loss quickly became a disaster for Boston
After falling behind 3-1 in the series, the Celtics now need to deal with what looks like a significant injury for Tatum.
Even before he fell to the court in pain, the Celtics were on their way to a Game 4 loss. Their defense, so strong over the first three games of the series, evaporated in the second half Monday night. After taking a 14-point lead, Boston had three straight mistakes against Brunson that allowed the Knicks to close the gap to five. New York dominated the rest of the third quarter to take a lead into the fourth.
Tatum scored clutch baskets midway through the fourth, but the Celtics couldn’t get enough stops to stay ahead. Bridges and Anunoby hurt them. Brunson created space to score important points. The Knicks shot 54.3 percent from the field, easily their best output of the series.
That would have been a painful loss for the Celtics anyway. It could be a devastating one if Tatum’s injury is as bad as it looked. — Jay King, Celtics beat writer
New York shouldn’t be satisfied … yet
There’s still work to be done, but the Knicks are a win away from their first trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 25 years.
New York showed it could go toe-to-toe with the defending champions in Game 4. The Knicks trailed by at least 20 in every game previously, but that wasn’t the case Monday night.
After trailing by 11 at halftime, New York put together an offensive master class in the game’s final 24 minutes. Brunson and Bridges took turns making bucket after bucket, and Boston wasn’t able to keep pace.
This was the most complete game the Knicks have played this postseason, as they were solid-to-great on both sides of the ball for most of the second half.
Now, New York has to go to Boston for Game 5 in its first attempt to end the series, and it may face a Tatum-less Celtics.
The Knicks were 1-3 on their home floor during the postseason and were finally able to get a huge win in front of the Madison Square Garden crowd. — James Edwards III, Knicks beat writer
(Photo: Cary Edmondson / Imagn Images)