T’wolves oust Warriors, Celtics stay alive

LOS ANGELES, May 16 ------ The Minnesota Timberwolves routed the Golden State Warriors to advance to the NBA Western Conference finals as the Boston Celtics kept their playoff campaign alive with a blowout victory over the New York Knicks. The Timberwolves, who had dominated the Warriors to open up a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, once again proved too strong for the seven-time NBA champions as they powered to a 121-110 win in Minneapolis. 

The victory completed a 4-1 series triumph for the Timberwolves, who return to the Western Conference finals for a second straight season, where they will meet Denver or Oklahoma City for a place in next month’s NBA Finals. The Warriors, whose playoff campaign was derailed by an injury to Stephen Curry in Game 1 against Minnesota, once again struggled to generate any offensive fluency in the absence of their superstar talisman. 

Instead it was left to the Timberwolves to pull clear after taking the lead early in the first quarter, their greater size and shooting accuracy leaving them in total control for long periods. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the loss of Curry early in the series had neutralized the effectiveness of Jimmy Butler. 

Reigning NBA champions Boston battled back from Jayson Tatum’s shattering injury blow to defeat the Knicks 127-102 and breathe new life into their faltering playoff campaign. The Celtics, trailing 3-1 and facing elimination in the best-of-seven series after Monday’s defeat that saw Tatum suffer a ruptured Achilles tendon, roared back at their TD Garden. Derrick White and Jaylen Brown led Boston’s fightback, combining for 60 points to extend the Eastern Conference semifinal series to a Game 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York on Friday. White finished with 34 points while Brown chipped in with 26 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists to give Boston a flicker of hope for the remainder of the series. 

Source: philstar.com