HOUSTON (AP) — Buddy Hield became an unlikely playoff hero for the Golden State Warriors, leading the team early in Game 7 against the Houston Rockets before Stephen Curry took over late
Buddy Hield made nine 3-pointers and scored 33 points, helping the Golden State Warriors advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 103-89 win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.
“We were lucky to get out of this series,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “That was an incredibly impressive display of resolve.”
The Warriors will face the Timberwolves for game one Tuesday night at Target Center, with tip-off at 8:30 p.m.
Game two is Thursday in downtown Minneapolis at 7:30 p.m.
The next two games in San Franscisco are Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and next Monday at 9.
If games five, six, and seven are necessary, they would be next Wednesday in downtown Minneapolis, the following Sunday on the west coast, and a deciding game seven on May 20th at Target Center.
If there is a game seven, it would start at 7:30 p.m.
Playoff success was a largely foreign concept to the Wolves during their first 34 years of existence.
The 2003-04 team led by Kevin Garnett won two postseason rounds, but those were the only two series victories in team history until last spring.
After Minnesota knocked off LeBron James and Luka Doncic last Wednesday to reach the second round in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history, it’s safe to say this current pack of Wolves has a bit more playoff tenacity than the teams that came before them.
Now back in the Western Conference semifinals, Minnesota is anticipating an even higher climb.
“Our guys fought,” coach Chris Finch said after their 103-96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. “They fought through it. I’m happy that they are able to achieve something that no other team has been able to do in the history of the franchise, which is go back to the second round two years in a row. Now there’s a lot bigger goals out there, but for the moment we’ll be pretty happy about that.”
The Wolves host games one, two, five, and seven against the Warriors, who beat Minnesota three times in four regular season meetings in 2024-25.
Facing Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler in the postseason might be even more daunting than their first-round showdown with Luka Doncic and LaBron James, but the Wolves are ready to keep rolling.
“It’s just a start, but I feel good about it as well,” Randle said. “Especially the way we won, and how we were doubted. It just shows we’ve got a lot of character in the locker room.”