The Minnesota Timberwolves came away with a massive 102-97 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of their Western Conference Semi-Final matchup on Saturday night, as superstar shooting guard Anthony Edwards poured in a game-high 36 points.
Despite Jimmy Butler’s 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a vintage ‘Playoff Jimmy’ performance, Minnesota grabbed a 2-1 series lead. Incredibly, the Timberwolves were also able to withstand Jonathan Kuminga’s absurd 30-point effort in the win.
Kuminga set the Golden State crowd ablaze by offering the best performance of his career to date in a pressure-filled outing.
Though the game swayed in the opposite direction for the Warriors, Butler still made it a mission to sing Kuminga’s praises during his post-game media availability following the conclusion of Game 3.
“Beautiful sight to see,” Butler told The Athletic’s Anthony Slater on Saturday night.
“Like I tell everybody, me and him can thrive together.”
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“I know how to space the floor. I can tell him, ‘Hey, when I have the ball, you go here and you do this.”
“We talk. We listen to one another. I know that he’s going to be a huge part of us winning on Monday.”
Kuminga’s 30 points, six rebounds and three assists in Game 3 helped to keep Golden State in the contest until the final buzzer.
The former No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft has stepped up in high-leverage spots, especially during the prolonged absence of their 4-time NBA champion guard Stephen Curry, who has been sidelined with a Grade 1 hamstring strain since the team’s 99-88 Game 1 victory on Tuesday.
Golden State’s upcoming Game 4 battle on Monday is a must-win if they wish to avoid a demoralizing 3-1 series deficit.
Butler and Kuminga will have to do their best to replicate their individual performances from Game 3, but the recent explosion of the latter forward has provided a semblance of hope for the franchise, even with Curry likely to be missing from the lineup once again.
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