The Golden State Warriors suffered a brutal Game 3 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves to go down 2-1 in their second-round series. The Warriors dropped the crucial Game 3 on Saturday in front of their home crowd, 102-97.
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The Warriors, who were without their superstar guard Stephen Curry for the second consecutive game, still had a legitimate shot to come away with the win. However, they failed to execute in the clutch, and the Timberwolves took full advantage.
The Timberwolves now have a prime opportunity on Monday to take firm control of the series by going up 3-1. Meanwhile, the battle-tested Warriors will pull out all the stops to even things up—led by their fiery veteran forward, Jimmy Butler. Never one to hold back his thoughts, Butler remained true to form with his postgame remarks on Saturday.
Butler sent a clear message to his team after the Game 3 loss, saying they need to put on their ‘big boy pants.’
“If we don’t win, we damn sure don’t have to worry about getting Steph back this year,” Butler said. “We gotta put our big boy pants on and go out there and compete at a high level and get this one on Monday.”
Butler did his part to lead the Warriors to the win, but it was not enough. In 43 minutes of action, he recorded 33 points on 12-of-26 shooting from the field, seven rebounds, and seven assists while being a -1 in the plus/minus department.
The Warriros without Curry are a compeletey different team, yet Butler did his part to try and led the Warrios voer the hump for Game 3.
“Man, Jimmy was incredible,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “He really controlled the game for us and put us in a position to win, and we just couldn’t close it out. But he was brilliant all night.”
The earliest expected return for Curry appears to be Game 6—assuming the series even reaches that point. As of now, only five games are guaranteed, with the Timberwolves holding the upper hand. Game 4 looms large for the Warriors, who must find a way to extend the series and keep their season alive.
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