Kerr senses Warriors are close to perfecting formula without Steph originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors’ offense has lived through, around and in between Steph Curry for 16 seasons.

It’s what Steve Kerr knows best since becoming head coach of the Warriors in 2014. Along with Draymond Green and, for many years, Klay Thompson, the recipe was dynastic with Chef Curry leading the charge in the kitchen.

But since his superstar point guard sustained a hamstring injury in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, Kerr has had to find a new recipe, or as he stated, formula, that will work against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

And despite a 102-97 loss in Game 3 on Saturday night at Chase Center, Kerr senses they’re close.

“We’re right there,” Kerr said postgame. “We feel great about our chances. This is what the playoffs are all about. There’s these emotional swings and momentum shifts, and we just got to take tomorrow off and get the guys refreshed, recharged, and come back in Monday and tee it up again.”

Kerr used Game 2 in Minnesota to experiment with different lineups and rotations, as Golden State became the first NBA team ever to insert 14 players in the first half of a playoff game.

He admitted he wanted to see what worked and didn’t work in Curry’s first full game sidelined. He got his answers. Kerr started second-year center Trayce Jackson-Davis, who had been out of the rotation since January, in Game 3, although he only played just over 11 minutes.

Moses Moody, who started 34 games for the Warriors, including the final 28 of the regular season, played just three minutes Saturday after struggling during these playoffs.

Rookie center Quinten Post, who started Game 2, played a little more than two minutes in Game 3.

The point is, it has been an adjustment for everyone to figure out the remedy without Curry, but Kerr feels they’re headed in a promising direction.

“I felt really good about the way the game went tonight, we just couldn’t close it out,” Kerr said. “But we controlled much of that game. [We were] up six or whatever it was with eight minutes to go, and I liked where we were. We just couldn’t finish.

“So the formula looks good. We’ll have some adjustments to make, but I like the matchup. I like what we’re doing.”

Jimmy Butler led the Warriors with 33 points on 12-of-26 shooting from the field and 2 of 4 from 3-point range, with seven rebounds and seven assists in 43 minutes.

Jonathan Kuminga recorded a playoff career-high 30 points, adding six rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 36 minutes off the bench.

Butler, too, believes the team is beginning to figure things out without Curry. While he wanted a win as bad as anybody, he knows there still are positives to take away from the loss.

“That we can compete without Steph,” Butler said. “We’re still as confident as ever, and we’re gonna go back to the film, to the drawing boards and figure it out. Come back in here on Monday and get this thing to 2-2.”

There’s no easy solution when you’re without your best player. Especially in the playoffs. But Butler and Kuminga proving they can co-exist has come at the perfect time for the Warriors. And if the rest of the ingredients fall into place, Kerr could be just a game away from mastering the Steph Curry-less formula.

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Kuminga's ‘I'm here' moment comes at perfect time for him, Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — Jonathan Kuminga checked into Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals at the 5:50 mark of the first quarter and immediately knocked down a jump shot.

Moments later, he blocked Jaden McDaniels’ dunk attempt and completed an and-1 driving floater on the other end of the court. He lay on the Chase Center floor for several seconds as the crowd rose to its feet and reached the highest volume of the night at that point.

Both embraced one another.

“I think that got me going,” Kuminga said Saturday night after the Warriors’ 102-97 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. “Just things like that, trying to involve the crowd, it just gave us this type of boost where we feed off that type of energy. 

“It was just one of those moments. Like: I’m here.”

Here, after the most difficult and adverse month of his four-year NBA career. 

The DNPs (Did Not Play). The chatter. The pressure. The confusion.

That’s a lot for anyone to take on at once, not to mention a 22-year-old. But Kuminga’s patience – as he lay on the Chase Center floor looking up at the twinkling lights with a roar of Warriors fans applauding him – finally paid off.

But it’s not as simple as flipping a switch. Not knowing when you’re going to play or be a part of the rotation. Being thrown into garbage minutes to try and light a spark without any rhythm. Kuminga played a total of 49 minutes in Golden State’s seven-game series against the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, including three DNPs.

He played 36 minutes off the bench Saturday night, scoring a career playoff-high 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field and 3 of 4 from 3-point range, with six rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

“It’s not easy,” Kuminga said of being in and out of the rotation. “It’s very tough. I think the only thing that kept me ready was watching how we play, working out every other day and just watching film. I think that was the only preparation. … It’s not easy, especially when you don’t get too many opportunities to be out there.

“I can do all that in my workouts and stuff like that, but if you’re not in the game, it’s different and more serious. Just within the time, it keeps getting better. Like I said, I’m just gaining my confidence back.”

Kuminga and Jimmy Butler combined for 63 points.

The numbers during the regular season showed that lineups with the two together on the court simply didn’t work for the Warriors. The past two games have shown otherwise.

Of course, Golden State has been a much different team playing without superstar Steph Curry, which Kerr believes partly is the reason why having the two aggressive forwards on the floor at the same time can work.

Kuminga believes it’s also a comfort thing as the two become more acquainted with each other on the court. That could be a good sign for Game 4 as the Warriors trail the series 2-1 and need to find a way to win without Curry, who will be re-evaluated before Game 5 on Wednesday.

While Kerr and Kuminga’s teammates spoke highly and proudly of the young forward in their postgame comments, Kuminga was the least pleased. Mostly because his career performance didn’t result in a win.

That didn’t stop the praise, however.

“He was brilliant,” Kerr said postgame. “JK played one of the best games of his life. It was fantastic to see, and you can see how necessary he is in this matchup, especially without Steph. We’re having a tough time getting free, and he’s obviously capable of giving us some points, getting to the rim. And I thought he was fantastic.

“I’ve said it a couple times to you guys, I’ve just been impressed with the way he’s handled things the last couple weeks, with the way he stayed ready and put in the work. It paid off tonight.”

Warriors guard Buddy Hield, the team’s human injection of joy on and off the court, called Kuminga “elite” and questioned if he knows anyone who works as hard as he does.

“It’s a beautiful sight to see,” Butler added of Kuminga’s aggressiveness.

Of course, a win would have been the icing on the cake for Kuminga and the Warriors. But after the turbulent road Kuminga has been on the last few weeks, it’s safe to say he isn’t just getting his confidence back — it’s back. Fully. And it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Warriors entering a pivotal Game 4.

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Without Steph, Warriors' defense unable to offset offensive struggles originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – When Stephen Curry limped off the floor in the first half of Game 1 in the Warriors’ Western Conference semifinals series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the conventional wisdom was that he took with him his team’ best chances for a deep postseason run.

There was no doubt, however, that Golden State’s offense would suffer. And, boy, has it.

After winning Game 1 with 99 points, with Buddy Hield filling the void created by Curry’s departure, the Warriors managed 93 in a 24-point rout by the Wolves in Game 2.

It wasn’t much different Saturday, with the series shifting to Chase Center for Game 3. Golden State played one half of great defense but only one quarter of strong offense in a 102-97 loss that gives Minnesota a 2-1 series lead.

Jimmy Butler III produced a gargantuan performance, with 33 points and seven assists, along with seven rebounds but four turnovers. Jonathan Kuminga was terrific: 30 points, along with two assists and six rebounds.

The other eight Warriors combined for 34 points – on 12-of-37 shooting, including 5 of 15 beyond the arc. With Curry sidelined, Golden State’s offense too easily lapses into dry spells and late-clock shots that rarely go down.

“Jimmy obviously is creating plenty, but it’s different,” coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s not the same level of stretching the defense out like Steph does. So, we’ve got to find ways to score more, to try to generate more shots. And we’ll look at the tape and figure that out.”

The tape will reveal that after Butler’s two free throws gave the Warriors an 82-77 lead with 8:16 remaining, they didn’t make another field goal until a Hield tip-in with 2:58 left ended a 13-2 run. The Warriors got two stops during that stretch, but the Wolves got seven.

That was enough to give Minnesota a four-point lead (90-86). When the Warriors’ next six possessions yielded three points, they were trailing by eight with less than a minute remaining and the uphill battle was too much to overcome.

“Probably just didn’t get the shots we wanted to get, turned the ball over a few times, didn’t contest shots, didn’t take the three out of the game,” Butler said. “And that was it.”

Golden State shot 7 of 20 in the fourth quarter. More astonishing was the failure to a generating a single point off seven Timberwolves’ turnovers in the fourth.

It’s natural that scoring would be harder for the Warriors without Curry. He’s peerless. Kerr has lived lavishly off a system he designed to emphasize Steph’s attributes. His absence has coaches seeking and players scrounging. The defensive rating for Game 3 was 108.2, the offensive rating 103.2.

Aside from a third quarter when the Warriors made their first 3-pointers of the game and totaled 31 points on 50-percent shooting, the Warriors were 24 of 59 (40.7 percent) from the field.

And yet, Butler was surprisingly unconcerned about the difficulty scoring.

“Scoring is never the problem,” he said. “I think 97 [points] can win in the playoffs. It’s us on the other end. We’ve got to stop them from scoring. We have got to not turn the ball over. We’ve got to get back.

“I definitely think we can score with the best of them. But we have got to be able to guard with the best of them as well.”

The Timberwolves shot a pedestrian 43.9 percent from the field but loaded in the second half, scoring 62 points while shooting 55.6 percent. But their 11 turnovers after intermission gave the Warriors only four points.

Brandin Podziemski and Hield started in the backcourt, with neither making a field goal in the first half and the two combining for 19 points. Hield shot 5 of 11 from the field, including 4 of 8 from distance. Podziemski was 1 of 10 and 1 of 4, and is 14 of 47 and 8 of 30 over his last six games.

Gary Payton II was 1 of 4 from the field, as was Kevon Looney – as was Draymond Green before fouling out in the fourth quarter.

And yet, Kerr was pleased with much of what he witnessed.

“I felt good about the way the game went tonight,” he said. “We just couldn’t close it out. Give them credit. They made all the plays in the fourth and [Julius] Randle and [Anthony] Edwards really got going, and we just couldn’t quite overcome them once we got down.

“But we controlled much of that game, and up six or whatever it was, eight minutes to go, I liked where we were. We just couldn’t finish. The formula looks good. We’ll have some adjustments to make. But I like the matchup. I like what we’re doing.”

There is no doubt Kerr does not like being down two games to one any more than he likes being without his best player.

Unless Kerr and assistant coach Terry Stotts can devise ways to improve the spacing that has become an abstract concept, half-court possessions will be a struggle.

And unless a few more men on the roster can squeeze out more scoring, no matter how well the defense performs, this series will be a labor likely ending in despair.

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The Boston Celtics dominated the New York Knicks in game three to cut the deficit to 2-1 in their NBA Eastern Conference play-off semi-final.

The Celtics blew 20-point third-quarter leads in the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Boston as the Knicks mounted stunning comebacks against the reigning NBA champions.

But the visitors made no mistake in New York, moving into a 71-46 lead at half-time and remaining ruthless to see out a vital victory.

The Celtics rediscovered their three-point shooting ability that deserted them in the first two games, hitting 50% of their shots from beyond the arc in Madison Square Garden.

Payton Pritchard led the Celtics with 23 points, while star Jayson Tatum added 22. Jalen Brunson hit a game-high 27 points for the Knicks.

Game four is in New York on Monday.

Timberwolves understand they can't relax despite 2-1 series lead over Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO – Holding a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals with a chance to build a commanding advantage on Monday, the Minnesota Timberwolves have no intention of letting off the gas pedal.

Saturday’s 102-97 win over the Warriors at Chase Center put the Wolves in the driver’s seat and came on the heels of their 24-point victory in Game 2 on Thursday night.

Golden State played without superstar and two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry in both games. The results each time were predictable, with the Wolves taking full advantage of Curry’s absence to grab control of the series.

That Minnesota won so handily in Game 2, then followed that up with a solid effort on Saturday, certainly is no surprise. Although the Warriors won the first game of the series when Curry got hurt, trying to sustain life without him for a full game is a completely different story.

While the Timberwolves celebrated after their Game 3 win, the overwhelming sense in their locker room was one of unfinished business.

“There’s no sigh of relief at any point,” Minnesota center Naz Reid said. “This is a playoff series for a reason. Whether you’re up or down, you still got to go take care of business.”

In both Minnesota wins, the Warriors put up a spirited fight to keep things interesting before the Wolves left the court with the W.

The Warriors trailed by 17 at halftime in Game 2 and cut the gap to 62-55 with 7 minutes left in the third quarter before the Wolves finished the quarter with a 20-point advantage. After Minnesota boosted its lead to 22 in the fourth quarter, Golden State made another late push to make the score closer than the game actually was.

For that reason and so many others, the Timberwolves aren’t taking anything for granted at this point, although they do enjoy the look from the perch they’re sitting on currently.

“We’re just more confident now than we have been in the past,” Timberwolves guard Mike Conley said. “We saw it tonight. Being down a couple points in games and we don’t seem to panic. We kind of double down on what we do defensively.”

Given Minnesota’s most recent playoff history, it’s understandable why they don’t want to get into cruise control mode.

During the 2023-24 playoffs, Minnesota won the first two games of the Western Conference semifinals against Denver, lost the next three on the road, then won the final two games to move on to the conference finals.

Two years before that, the Wolves trailed the Grizzlies 2-1 in the opening round of the playoffs but forced the series to go six games.

And it’s not like Minnesota has played a grand style of hoop against the Warriors. The Wolves have made enough mistakes that one could make a legitimate argument that Golden State would have won either or both of the previous two games if Curry hadn’t been forced to sit on the sidelines while nursing his hamstring injury.

“We didn’t play the best basketball ourselves,” Reid said, stating the obvious.

As good as the Wolves played, to a man, they all believe they can be even better.

In Game 3, they outscored the Warriors by 13 in the paint, had a bench scoring advantage of 46-41 and held a 42-39 edge in rebounding.

“We’re just winning the possession battle in clutch time now,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Today, we actually were really big on the boards in clutch time, getting some second-shot opportunities. That’s it.

“(The Warriors) made the game ugly. They did a great job of just being super physical and trying to kind of take it into the mud. We could certainly do things better and smarter. But I was proud of our guys because we got right down there in the mud with them.”

If the Warriors can rally and force the series to go at least six games, there’s a chance Curry can get back into the lineup by then. It’s a long shot, no doubt, but one that the Timberwolves aren’t dismissing.

“When he gets back, it’s still going to be the same challenge for us,” Reid said. “We have to take care of business on the offensive and defensive side.”

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How Kuminga's dunk motivated Ant's second-half revival in Game 3 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

What does it take to motivate Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards at a decisive juncture in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals? 

How about Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga throwing down a dunk over Edwards?

AIR CONGOOOOOOOO ✈️pic.twitter.com/P5kBAl8XVb

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 11, 2025

Following the Timberwolves’ 102-97 victory over the Warriors on Saturday night at Chase Center, Edwards credited Kuminga’s high-flying skills for fueling his second-half turnaround. 

“Poster dunk by me? Nah, I feel like when Kuminga dunked on me,” Edwards told reporters after taking a 2-1 series lead. “It got me going more so than anything.” 

"When Kuminga dunked on me, that got me going."

Anthony Edwards on what motivated him in the second half 👀 pic.twitter.com/QqzHfYpwAQ

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 11, 2025

Edwards, who contributed just eight points in the first half, finished with a game-high 36 points, helping Minnesota regain control of the series against a Steph Curry-less Golden State.

Kuminga, on the opposite end, erupted for 30 points off the bench for the Warriors. The 22-year-old’s valiant effort was ultimately wasted, with Golden State unable to capitalize as Curry watched on from the bench after being ruled out with a hamstring injury. 

Late in the third quarter, Edwards, known in part for his explosive dunks, drove past Kuminga before elevating to the rim over Warriors big man Kevon Looney. 

ANTHONY EDWARDS THROWDOWN!! 😱 pic.twitter.com/9uzZt5H885

— NBA (@NBA) May 11, 2025

That wasn’t the source of motivation for the two-time NBA All-Star, however. Instead, the motivation came after getting humbled to the point where Edwards had to double down on his skills and mentality. 

And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if it leads to a crucial playoff victory. 

“Just trust the work, man,” Edwards added. “I feel like one thing I never lack in confidence. If I got that, I’ll be alright.”

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