Jason Collins
Dailysports's expert
Golden State Warriors
Minnesota Timberwolves
On May 11, the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves will face off in their third NBA playoff encounter. Here’s my in-depth prediction for this highly anticipated matchup.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors’ “golden era” is now behind them, with only a handful of players and head coach Steve Kerr remaining from their championship roster. The Dubs no longer look like title contenders, though the arrival of Jimmy Butler has certainly made them a more dangerous squad.
In the opening round of the playoffs, Golden State overcame the dangerous Houston Rockets, clinching the decisive Game 7 on the road. After two away games against Minnesota, the series is tied, but disaster struck in Game 2 as team leader Steph Curry suffered an injury. His recovery is expected to take 3 to 6 weeks, meaning he won’t be able to help his teammates in this series. Jimmy Butler could step up as the new leader—he carried Miami for a long time, but he’s still relatively new to Golden State.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Things are going smoothly for Minnesota so far—they secured a direct playoff spot, albeit with some difficulty. In the play-in, the Timberwolves knocked out the Los Angeles Lakers, who had LeBron and Doncic, with a 4-1 series win. Against Golden State, they also look like favorites, especially with Curry sidelined.
Much will depend on their star Anthony Edwards, although in the last game Julius Randle was outstanding as well, recording a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds. It’s also worth noting Minnesota’s impressive field goal percentage in the previous matchup—over 50%.
Match facts
- Golden State has won two of three home games in these playoffs.
- Minnesota has also played three road games in the postseason, winning two of them.
- The odds for this clash are: Home win – 2.78, Away win – 1.46.
Head-to-head
The series started with a road win for Golden State, 99-88. Minnesota bounced back in Game 2 with a convincing 117-93 victory. With the series tied 1-1, everything is still to play for.
Prediction
According to the bookmakers, Golden State’s chances without Curry are slim, with Minnesota considered the clear favorite. It’s tough to predict how the Warriors will perform without their leader, but it’s certain to be a challenge. I’m backing the total over 199.5 points here—even if neither team is expected to put up huge numbers, that total is definitely within reach for these squads.
