What we learned as Steph Curry injured in Warriors' Game 1 win over Timberwolves
What we learned as Steph Curry injured in Warriors' Game 1 win over Timberwolves originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
MINNEAPOLIS – The Warriors showed little signs of fatigue 48 hours after their Game 7 win in the first round of the NBA playoffs, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 99-88 Tuesday night at the Target Center in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
But the win can’t be as celebrated as usual.
Steph Curry, in the second quarter, grabbed at the back of his left leg and was ruled out for the remainder of the game with a strained hamstring. The Warriors once led by 23 points before holding off the Timberwolves in the end.
Draymond Green’s offensive revival again proved to be huge. The defensive star scored 18 points to go with eight rebounds, six assists and two steals. He scored 40 total points in the first six games of the first round and now has totaled 34 in the Warriors’ last two games.
Buddy Hield missed all seven of his shots in the first half, scoring two points at the free-throw line. His activity turned to scoring production in the third quarter, putting up 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Hield ended with 24 points and five threes to become the first player in NBA history to total 14 threes in a two-game playoff span.
Jimmy Butler, in his return to Minnesota, was stellar, posting a near triple-double of 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was held to one point in the first half, but scored 22 in the final two quarters. The Timberwolves only scored 31 points through two quarters, the fewest first-half points the Warriors have allowed for a playoff game in the shot clock era. In their first-round series win, the Timberwolves averaged 107.4 points, almost 20 more than what they finished with Tuesday night.
Countless layups rimmed in and out, and the Timberwolves were colder than ice-cold from 3-point range. The Warriors went 18 of 42 on threes (42.9 percent), and the Timberwolves were 5 of 29 (17.2 percent)
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ Game 1 win.
Surviving Steph’s Injury
Just as the Warriors were finding their flow, Curry was forced to limp to the locker room in the second quarter. On back-to-back possessions, Curry hit a rainbow of a three from the left wing that floated high into the air and through the nets, grabbed Donte DiVincenzo’s missed three and went coast to coast for a floater. But almost immediately, it became clear something was wrong.
Curry began grabbing at his left hamstring and motioned to the Warriors’ bench that he needed to be taken out. He wasn’t noticed at first and play resumed. Somehow, Curry still managed to make an impact by finding Green for a three. The Timberwolves then called a timeout and Curry slowly limped across the court and right down the tunnel back to the Warriors’ locker room with director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini.
It looked like Curry could have been in for a huge night, too. He was a plus-10, having already scored 13 points in 13 minutes. He was 5 of 9 from the field and made three of his six 3-point attempts prior to his injury. He scored eight of the Warriors’ 18 points in the first quarter, and five of their first 12 in the second quarter.
The Warriors led 30-20 when Curry exited the game. He was ruled out with a left hamstring strain later in the second quarter.
The Butler Returns
Butler’s time in Minnesota was short but memorable, mostly because of drama forcing his way out of town 10 games into his second season with the Timberwolves. He was an All-Star and was named Second Team All-Defensive and Third Team All-NBA in his first year for the Timberwolves. By the sound of the crowd, there is absolutely no love remaining for him in the Twin Cities.
Butler played his first game at the Target Center since November of 2021. He last played for the Timberwolves on Nov. 9, 2019, before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. Butler received loud boos whenever he touched the ball.
Unsurprisingly, that didn’t deter him one bit.
Butler didn’t go on a scoring tear but was flying all over the court. In the first half, when he only had six points, Butler came down with five offensive rebounds and added two steals. The Warriors will need him to be a scorer in Curry’s absence, but the rest of his game shone bright.
Dominant From Downtown
Despite missing 17 consecutive threes and going 7 of 37 as a team, the Timberwolves were able to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the first round to advance to the conference semifinals. Their victory was largely because of Rudy Gobert’s 27 points and 24 rebounds. Gobert wasn’t nearly as effective in Game 1 against the Warriors to open Round 2, and the Timberwolves kept missing from long distance.
Minnesota took eight threes in the first quarter and didn’t make a single one. Another seven tries and another seven misses in the second quarter brought the Timberwolves to a wild 0 of 15 on 3-pointers in the first half. Meanwhile, as the Warriors led 44-31 at halftime, they were nine of 20 on threes – a 27-point advantage. Curry was responsible for three of those treys, but other Warriors were cashing in as well.
Most notably, Curry’s longest teammate. Butler made one three in the first half, as did Brandin Podziemski. Green, however, had already made four.
The Timberwolves missed their first try behind the 3-point line in the third quarter, and Naz Reid finally snapped the streak on their 17th attempt of the night. Going back to the Timberwolves’ previous game, Edwards missed 14 consecutive threes before making one with three minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Warriors' Game 1 win over Timberwolves helps road teams make NBA playoff history
Warriors' Game 1 win over Timberwolves helps road teams make NBA playoff history originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors’ stunning 99-88 Game 1 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night at Target Center completed a remarkable few days in the NBA.
With Golden State’s Western Conference semifinal victory, all four road teams won Game 1 of the Division/Conference Semifinals round for the first time in NBA history.
On Sunday, the Indiana Pacers stole their series opener against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. A day later, the New York Knicks rallied to beat the Boston Celtics in overtime, while the Denver Nuggets stunned the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder in the final seconds.
The Warriors completed the feat Tuesday night.
Making the Warriors’ win all the more impressive, they did it for the majority of the contest without Steph Curry, who sustained a left hamstring strain early in the second quarter, exiting the game with 13 points.
The Warriors entered Tuesday’s game with one day of rest after beating the Houston Rockets in Game 7 on Sunday night.
Indiana did the unthinkable and somehow won Game 2 in Cleveland earlier on Tuesday night. New York and Denver will have a chance to snatch their respective Game 2s on Wednesday, while Golden State is back in action Thursday night.
Winning Game 2 without Curry might be a tall task, but for now, the Warriors will bask in the glory of taking the series opener.
Steph Curry ruled out of Warriors-Timberwolves Game 1 with left hamstring strain
Steph Curry ruled out of Warriors-Timberwolves Game 1 with left hamstring strain originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The last thing the Warriors need right now is a Steph Curry injury, but that’s what they are dealing with early in Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Less than four minutes into the second quarter of the Western Conference semifinal opener Tuesday at Target Center, Curry tweaked his left hamstring on a defensive possession. He grabbed the back of his left leg on several occasions.
The Warriors ruled Curry out a few minutes later.
Curry stayed in the game but after Draymond Green hit a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 30-20 lead, the Timberwolves called a timeout and the two-time NBA MVP walked to Golden State’s locker room for evaluation.
Curry was playing well at the time of the injury, having made 5 of 9 field-goal attempts for 13 points.
Curry has been playing through a right thumb injury he has been dealing with for the last few months.
Late announcer Jim Fagan's voice will return with the NBA to NBC, courtesy of AI
Many people remember the late Jim Fagan as the rugged voice that proudly informed 1990s and early-2000s basketball fans that they were watching the NBA on NBC.
The distinct sound of Fagan's voiceovers, with John Tesh's rousing "Roundball Rock" playing in the background, will be forever linked to the era when Michael Jordan dominated the sport and players like Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan were just starting to build their legacies.
Fagan died in 2017 at age 72 after battling Parkinson’s disease. His voice, however, will soon be more than just a fond memory for basketball fans.
NBC Sports announced Tuesday that through the use of AI voice synthesis technology — and through a partnership with Fagan's family — the announcer's voice will be heard on "select title sequences, show opens, and promos" when the NBA returns to the network this fall after more than two decades. Fagan's voice will be used to "supplement traditional voiceover work by other artists hired by NBC Sports," the network said in a news release.
That announcement came days after NBC Sports revealed that it was bringing back "Roundball Rock" as its NBA anthem. On Tuesday, the network dropped a promo video featuring both the classic song and Fagan's AI-generated voice. Any nostalgic vibes felt by old-school NBA fans definitely were not coincidental.
“For many basketball fans, Jim’s unique and recognizable voice immediately conjures a deep sense of nostalgia for a special time in NBA history,” NBC Sports president Rick Cordella said in the news release. “His voice perfectly captured the magnitude of the heavyweight matchups and stars that he was introducing. It’s been a joy to work with Jim’s family to recreate his voice and honor his legacy. I’m excited we’re able to introduce his voice to a whole new generation of fans.”
Four hours after the promo video was posted on YouTube, it had received 25 comments, most of which criticized the decision to use AI to generate the voice of someone who is no longer alive. But Fagan's daughters, Jana Silvia Joyce and Risa Silvia-Koonin, said in NBC's news release that their father would have been "thrilled."
Read more:LeBron James begs off attending the Met Gala, where he is the honorary co-chairman
“We’re deeply grateful that NBC Sports had the vision to honor our father’s legacy in such a meaningful way," Silvia Joyce and Silvia-Koonin stated. "He took great pride in his work with NBC Sports, especially in helping set the stage for some of the most memorable moments in NBA history. Knowing that his voice will once again be part of the game he loved — and that a new generation of fans will get to experience it — is incredibly special for our family. He would be so thrilled and proud to be a part of this.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Thunder's Sam Presti voted NBA Executive of the Year
Thunder executive Sam Presti had already built a team that was a No. 1 seed with an elite young core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Yet, last year's playoffs exposed some holes in the roster — they needed toughness — and Presti had a great offseason filling those by signing big man Isaiah Hartenstein and trading Josh Giddey to Chicago for Alex Caruso.
Those moves, leading the Thunder to a 68-win season and a team expected to come out of the Western Conference, earned Presti the NBA Executive of the Year award.
Sam Presti Named 2024-25 @NBA Executive of the Year pic.twitter.com/gnMi1dFfFM
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) May 6, 2025
This is an award voted on by Presti's peers, the other lead executives/GMs around the league.
Presti got 10 first-place votes, with six second-place and six third-place votes. Cleveland's Koby Altman finished second in the voting with six first-place votes, with the Pistons' Trajan Langdon third. The Rockets' Rafael Stone finished fourth, and the Clippers' Lawrence Frank was fifth. In total, 13 executives got a top-three vote. The complete voting results can be seen here.
Josh Hart dispels notion that Knicks got lucky in Game 1 win over Celtics: 'We flew around'
Trailing by 20 points midway through the third quarter, the Knicks found a way to fight back and come away with a dramatic 108-105 overtime win in Game 1 against the Boston Celtics.
While the improbable road win has given New York an early lead in the series, there is a prevailing thought that the Celtics simply had an off night, as evidenced by their abysmal 15-of-60 (25 percent) three-point shooting and Kristaps Porzingis playing just 13 minutes.
Will Boston have another game in which they miss 45 shots from beyond the arc? It’s safe to say that’s highly unlikely, but as Josh Hart said on Tuesday, the Knicks deserve credit for the way that they executed on the defensive end.
Plus, it's not like the Knicks played at the top of their game either, yet they found a way to win.
“It’s twofold, right? I don’t think we played our best basketball. We got outrebounded by 10, we gave up 24 second-chance points, we gave up some easy fastbreak dunks that we shouldn’t have," Hart said.
"When a team isn’t playing well it’s ‘why are they not playing well?’ Is it because they’re just off that day, or is it because the defense or the other team is playing well and forcing them into playing that kind of style?”
To illustrate his point, Hart brought up how the Detroit Pistons were able to disrupt the Knicks and keep them from playing their best game in any of the six contests from their first round matchup.
“We’ve got to give Detroit credit, because Detroit did not allow us to play our best game. Fortunately for us, we were able to win that series without playing our best game in any game that whole series,” said Hart, who scored 14 points and added 11 rebounds over 45 minutes in Game 1 in Boston.
“Obviously, [the Celtics] had some shots that they didn’t make that were makeable shots for them, but I feel like we executed our game plan,” Hart said. “We played with physicality and energy. We flew around.”
But now the Knicks face a new challenge heading Wednesday’s Game 2: the proverbial post-big-win hangover.
Tom Thibodeau’s squad may have been on the winning end of one of the more dramatic comebacks in recent playoff history on Monday night, but the head coach knows the key is moving on and being prepared for what comes next.
“That’s the challenge for everybody. I think in the playoffs, that’s sort of the nature of the beast,” Thibodeau explained. “It’s very emotional, there are great highs, there are lows. You have to navigate both, and no matter what happens, you don’t carry it over into the next game. You have to reset and be ready to do it all over again.”
New Haven accepts invitation to Northeast Conference as it begins transition to Division I
The Chargers will become full Division I members in 2028-29.
Florida raises basketball coach Todd Golden’s salary to $6M annually after national title
Florida basketball coach Todd Golden inked a six-year, $40.5 million extension, adding a year to his current deal and putting him under contract through the 2030-31 season. He signed a two-year extension in March 2024 that increased his average salary to $4.1 million annually.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark receives 3-year contract extension through 2030
His original five-year contract was set to expire in 2027.
Sports Icons Shine at the 2025 Met Gala: Angel Reese, Jalen Hurts, Simone Biles and more
Some would equate the Met Gala to "the Super Bowl of Fashion", and this year's red carpet (technically it was blue) didn't disappoint as Olympic, NFL, and WNBA champions — athletes across the biggest leagues in the world — took center stage in their best looks.
The theme of the 2025 Met Gala was "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style", inspired by Monica L. Miller's book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.
Many were excited to see LeBron James,who was named the honorary chair of the 2025 Met Gala, look dapper on the carpet, but the four-time NBA Champion and MVP announced that he would be missing the historical event due to a knee injury. Still, his wife, Savannah James, dazzled in his absence.
See below for a glimpse into one of fashion's brightest nights and the standout looks of some of sports' biggest stars, including NBC Sports' own Maria Taylor, Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, three-time Olympian Miles Chamley-Watson, and more.
Angel Reese
Miles Chamley-Watson
Sha’Carri Richardson
Savannah James
Jalen Hurts
Breanna Stewart
Noah Lyles
Jonquel Jones
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 05: (L-R) Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens attend the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 05, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images
Joe Burrow
Lewis Hamilton
British car driver Lewis Hamilton arrives for the 2025 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025, in New York. The Gala raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. The 2025 Met Gala is themed “Tailored for You,” aligning with the Costume Institute’s exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” set to open to the public on May 10. (Photo by Angela WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Maria Taylor
Russell Wilson and Ciara
Gabby Thomas
Serena Williams
RELATED:Met Gala - Simone Biles, Sha’Carri Richardson, Noah Lyles, Gabby Thomas arrival photos
WTHELLY? Pacers, Haliburton Ride Rob49 Anthem Into NBA Playoffs
Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is rarely featured in national TV advertisements, but he has a name mention in a new hit rap song reverberating around the U.S.—a cultural claim to fame none of his peers still active in the 2025 NBA playoffs have matched this year.
The song “WTHELLY” has helped elevate the profile of Haliburton and New Orleans born rapper Rob49 as the Pacers compete in their second-round series with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Haliburton, who scored 22 points in a Game 1 win in Cleveland on Sunday, is referenced in the song’s outro, along with Halle Berry and LeBron James.
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With more than 7 million Spotify streams, 1.5 million YouTube listens and hundreds of thousands of sound repurposes on TikTok, “WTHELLY” has gained the appreciation of the Oshkosh, Wis., product, who is on a quest to return to the Eastern Conference Finals for a second year in a row. Haliburton told reporters it was “fire” to have his name dropped on the song, which continues to pick up steam on social media. He also wore a T-shirt that read “WTHELLY” last week on the plane to Milwaukee ahead of Game 3 of the Pacers’ prior series against the Milwaukee Bucks, a five-game success.
Haliburton boosted his profile last year through an NBA All-Star bid, his first deep playoff run, a Team USA appearance at the Olympics and a WWE cameo. The “WTHELLY” name-drop has continued Haliburton’s climb to becoming a household name this season, and the Pacers are making a concerted effort to help him capitalize on the moment.
The franchise’s digital media and marketing teams have partnered with Rob49’s label Interscope Records to gain the rights to post the song on various clips and promotions featuring their point guard. The Pacers also sat Rob49 courtside at Game 2 against the Bucks, and following a feverish comeback to close out the series in Game 5, players blasted “WTHELLY” in the locker room.
Indiana will play Game 2 of the second round in Cleveland on Tuesday night.
“Our players love music, television and consume things like everyone else,” Pacers senior vice president of marketing and content Tyler Beadlescomb said in a video interview. “The genuine excitement that came from Tyrese and the team is something that we tried to carry through when we brought this [rollout] to life. … There was nothing about this that was forced. It was something that we all loved.”
Haliburton plays in a small media market and does not get the same airtime during commercial breaks as many other guards and wing players active in the 2025 playoffs. For example, Jamal Murray is a mainstay in New Balance ads, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is spending another year in AT&T spots (not singing this time, thankfully), Jayson Tatum is one of the faces of Gatorade and Anthony Edwards is seemingly everywhere. Even Jalen Green, the recently eliminated Houston Rockets guard without an All-Star nod to his name, is in a major Wing Stop ad.
That said, Haliburton isn’t entirely new to the spotlight. The ex-Iowa State standout has appeared in GQ Magazine and The Players’ Tribune and boasts endorsement deals with Puma and Movado. This organic music culture collaboration is a next step encouraged by Indiana.
“We love when the stars align and we can use our organization to lean in and create make some magic moments,” Beadlescomb said. “We think of ourselves as a major brand, and that means we have to welcome way more than just Hoosiers. We love our fan base, but we want fans all over.”
The love affair culminated on April 22 when Rob49 arrived to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 2. The 26-year-old rapper sat courtside alongside former Pacers star Lance Stephenson to watch Haliburton drop 21 points in a 123-115 victory.
On the Club 520 podcast co-hosted by former Pacers guard Jeff Teague, Rob49 described the evening as a memorable one. Soaking in the playoff energy in the basketball-crazed state of Indiana, he was surprised by how many fans knew him and remembers at one point fans collectively yelling “What the helly?”
“I was like ‘what the hell,’” he said on the podcast with a laugh. “That was crazy to me.”
The special guest activities also included meeting Haliburton in person for the first time and being gifted personalized merchandise from the team.
“I knew it was going to go, but I didn’t know it was going to go this far though,” Rob49 said of his song’s takeoff. “This is about to be crazy.”
Rob49, who started rapping in 2020, first gained wide attention for his verse on Travis Scott’s 2023 hit song “Topia Twins.” Since his TikTok banger dropped at the end of March, he has gained more notoriety and soon plans to release a remix with number of stars including Justin Bieber set to be featured. He isn’t done with the basketball references anytime soon either as he gave fans a snippet of his unreleased song “Angel Reese“ last week during his live stream.
The Pacers don’t host celebrities as often as the Los Angeles Lakers or the New York Knicks but aim to capitalize when they can expand their national brand. Popular rapper turned businessman Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson makes a couple appearances each season, as the Pacers have a partnership with his liquor and wine company Sire Spirits. Actor Will Farrell, who starred as Jackie Moon in 2008 basketball comedy Semi-Pro, also famously attended a game in a hype man role in 2023.
They have also been quick to implement the star power of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, who share their arena and whose players regularly attend their games—and vice versa. Fever phenom Caitlin Clark has become a friend of Haliburton’s since she was drafted No. 1 overall in 2024. Both Indiana basketball teams are owned by parent company Pacers Sports & Entertainment.
As the ongoing NBA playoffs progress, the Pacers remain in talks with Rob49 about a potential halftime show or another appearance at the arena depending on how long their run lasts. Regardless, the viral song will be remembered as the backdrop of a season that has solidified Indiana’s return to NBA contention.
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Is Porzingis' illness tied to previous absence? Mazzulla shares update
Is Porzingis' illness tied to previous absence? Mazzulla shares update originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Kristaps Porzingis’ availability is once again in question after his abrupt exit from the Boston Celtics’ Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks on Monday night.
The Boston Celtics big man is “day-to-day” with an illness, head coach Joe Mazzulla confirmed to reporters Tuesday. Porzingis exited Monday’s game at TD Garden with 7:34 remaining in the second quarter and did not return after the team listed him as questionable with a “non-Covid illness.”
“He’s a little bit better. We’ll see how he feels,” Mazzulla said Tuesday of Porzingis.
While the nature of Porzingis’ illness is unclear, it’s fair to wonder whether his current condition is related to the upper respiratory illness that caused him to miss eight straight games from Feb. 28 to March 14. Porzingis noted at the time that he hadn’t “been this sick for probably ever in my life.”
“I was really, for a week, really just laying at home trying to recover,” Porzingis said after his first game back on March 15. “And after that, I had lingering fatigue — and I still have it a little bit.”
Mazzulla said Tuesday he has “no idea” if Porzingis’ current illness is related to what he had in March but then revealed that the big man is still dealing with some lingering effects of that illness.
“Since he came back, I think he’s been kind of dealing with it on and off, fighting through it, working through it, doing the best he can,” Mazzulla said. “I think it was just too much for him in that game.
“… He had been working through it since he’s gotten back and he’s done a great job of being available. It was just tough for him to continue (Monday), so we’ll see kind of how he handles that.”
Porzingis started in Game 1 but didn’t look like himself, going scoreless in 12:58 of playing time on 0 for 4 shooting with four rebounds, one assist and a turnover. And outside a 20-point effort in Game 1 of the first round against the Orlando Magic, Porzingis has largely struggled this postseason, shooting 32.8 percent from the floor and just 11.8 percent from 3-point range (2 for 17) in six playoff games to date.
The Celtics didn’t need a fully-effective Porzingis to dispatch the Magic in five games, but they could certainly use him against New York, especially considering the former Knicks lottery pick has had plenty of success against his former team.
Game 2 of Celtics-Knicks is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET at TD Garden, and Porzingis’ status will be worth monitoring closely.
UPDATE: The Celtics listed Porzingis as probable on their injury report Tuesday afternoon, suggesting he’s on track to play in Game 2.
How Knicks stole Game 1 against Celtics in Eastern Conference Semifinals
In perhaps the most impressive win in modern Knicks basketball history, New York came back from 20 points down to beat Boston on the road, 108-105, stealing Game 1 in the second round and securing home court advantage.
It took a massive two-way team effort to accomplish it.
Let’s break down how the Knicks pulled it off...
Defensive masterclass
Head coach Tom Thibodeau pulled out all the adjustments for this series, and his team executed them to perfection.
Unsatisfied with how his team guarded Boston in the regular season, opening with mostly drop coverage then slowly experimenting with others, Thibs had his team switch most ball screens.
This gave the Celtics a bunch of favorable one-on-one matchups instead of putting the Knicks defense in a blender, pushing them away from their patented ball movement and advantage creation towards isolation basketball. While Boston has the talent to adjust, New York acquired specific personnel this offseason to make it tough, and they did just that.
OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, or "Wingstop" as they’ve aptly been nicknamed, had standout performances. They finished with four steals and two blocks between them, holding Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to a combined 46 points on 14-for-43 shooting, lobbing the head off the Celtics offense.
They were especially impressive in the second half and overtime, helping whenever Boston would attackJalen Brunson or Karl-Anthony Townsone-on-one, somehow digging into driving lanes and recovering in time to contest the Celtics' shooters. And when they needed to get timely stops, they made it happen.
Clutch execution
The Knicks have been a strong crunch time team, as evidenced in the previous round but put on full display in Game 1 in Boston. It starts with their Clutch Player of the Year, who helped lead the ferocious comeback with his shot making.
Brunson scored 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field in the third and fourth quarters. Halfway through the final period, Brunson laced three threes and a couple of free throws in under three minutes to give the Knicks a six-point edge.
Boston wouldn’t let him carry New York to victory that easily, and started sending soft doubles and much more attention his way. Brunson responded, getting inside to draw in the defense and spray out to Anunoby for a huge three with 90 seconds to play.
He also held his own defensively, putting in a big effort to bother Tatum and Brown on switches and seal Al Horford and other Celtics bigs as the low man. For all the clutch shot making, there was some serious clutch defensive playmaking as well.
Anunoby had a huge fourth quarter steal, Mitchell Robinson came in to shut down Tatum on a game-winning attempt, and Bridges came through with two steals in overtime -- including the game-deciding one off the inbounds in the final seconds.
Flipping Boston’s strengths
The Knicks did an excellent job taking perceived strengths and preferences on the Celtics side and turning them on their head. Boston took advantage of ignoring Josh Hart offensively in the regular season, and he made them pay in Game 1.
Hart had 14 points and 11 rebounds on 5-for-9 shooting, which may not pop off the box score but doesn’t adequately capture his impact on this game. He was constantly pushing the Knicks tempo and finding good looks in transition, while helping slow down the Celtics’ offensive rebounding in the second half.
Boston’s big playing six feet off him? Hart would set off ball screens, and get involved in the action via a few variations of pick and rolls to constantly keep them on their toes.
The Celtics buried the Knicks from three all season? No problem. New York switched heavy to limit their offensive opportunities and force them into tough off-the-dribble threes in isolation -- exactly the shot you want.
They shut down the paint and watched Boston panic from beyond the arc, shooting a ghastly 15-for-60 from three. Those long misses led to transition chances and had the Celtics questioning their offense.
It was a great approach and tremendous effort that caught Boston by surprise in Game 1, but it will take repeat performances to steal more than a game.
Let’s see if the Knicks can pull off another shocker when they face the Celtics again on Wednesday in Game 2.
Warriors vs. Timberwolves Predictions: Odds, recent stats, trends and best bets for May 6
Golden State Warriors vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Preview
It’s Tuesday, May 6, and the Golden State Warriors (48-34) and Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33) are all set to square off from Target Center in Minneapolis.
The Warriors survived a game seven with an impressive win over the Houston Rockets. It will be interesting to see if we see another case of rest versus rust in game one of this match.
The Warriors last played on Sunday. The Timberwolves last played last Wednesday.
So far, the teams in the longer series have come out on top in game one. The Cavaliers, the Celtics, and the Thunder all lost game one at home.
As a 7-point underdog and +230 on the moneyline, the Warriors would be an interesting pizza money bet, to see if it happens.
The Warriors are currently 24-17 on the road with a point differential of 3, while the Timberwolves have a 8-2 record in their last ten games at home.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.
Game details & how to watch Warriors vs. Timberwolves live today
- Date: Tuesday, May 6, 2025
- Time: 9:30PM EST
- Site: Target Center
- City: Minneapolis, MN
- Network/Streaming: TNT, truTV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Warriors vs. Timberwolves
The latest odds as of Tuesday:
- Odds: Warriors (+234), Timberwolves (-289)
- Spread: Timberwolves -7
- Over/Under: 209 points
That gives the Warriors an implied team point total of 103.45, and the Timberwolves 107.1.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Tuesday’s Warriors vs. Timberwolves game
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Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas) is betting on the Warriors +7 and +230...
Thomas: "It's game one, and the Timberwolves will likely win this game. If the Warriors complete the lower seed upset sweep, I want to have a little piece of the action."
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Warriors & Timberwolves game:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Golden State Warriors at +7.
- Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the under on the Game Total of 209.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)