The Golden State Warriors escaped what might have been a historic collapse, lastly placing away the Houston Rockets in a seven-game first-round sequence.
Their second-round matchup towards the Minnesota Timberwolves comes with huge stakes. Coming off an exhausting Recreation 7 with minimal relaxation, standard knowledge instructed the Warriors would possibly battle with vitality.
As an alternative, they flipped the script completely and etched their identify within the document books.
In Recreation 1, Golden State restricted the Timberwolves to 31 factors within the first half, setting a franchise document for fewest factors allowed in a playoff half because the shot clock was launched in 1954.
“The Dubs’ protection made a stand within the first half,” NBCS Warriors wrote on X.
The Dubs’ protection made a stand within the first half 🚫 pic.twitter.com/wUHH9CGdpU
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) Could 7, 2025
This defensive dominance created an absolute capturing catastrophe for Minnesota.
The Timberwolves missed their first 16 makes an attempt from 3-point vary earlier than Naz Reid lastly broke the drought halfway by means of the third quarter.
Anthony Edwards, sometimes a scoring machine, struggled to seek out any offensive rhythm.
These elements gave Golden State essential respiratory room, particularly after Stephen Curry exited the sport with a hamstring harm.
Transferring ahead, sustaining such defensive depth will likely be a tall order for the Warriors.
Nonetheless, if they’ll safe a Recreation 2 victory on Minnesota’s house court docket, it might dramatically shift the sequence dynamics.
Stealing the opener not solely gave the Warriors a mathematical benefit but in addition supplied a major psychological edge as they proceed their championship pursuit.
The query now turns into whether or not this defensive displaying was a one-game anomaly or an indication of what the Warriors can persistently accomplish.
NEXT: Steve Kerr Praises Key Warriors Participant For Protection In opposition to Timberwolves