ESPN - Minnesota is headed back to the Western Conference Finals for the second straight season, eliminating the Golden State Warriors 121-110 in Game 5.

The Warriors played the final four games of the series without Steph Curry, and the Timberwolves took advantage.

Julius Randle was stellar, scoring 29 points on 13-of-18 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and five assists. Anthony Edwards scored 22 points and had 12 assists, while Rudy Gobert added 17 points and eight rebounds.

Brandin Podziemski led Golden State with 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting, and Jonathan Kuminga scored 26 points off the bench. Jimmy Butler III finished with 17 points on 4-of-11 shooting.

The Wolves now await the winner of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Denver Nuggets series with Game 6 scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Looking ahead for the Warriors

Draymond Green is expected back next to Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler. Below them, the Warriors will go searching for reinforcements via trade and the free agent market. Jonathan Kuminga’s future is in most question. The restricted free agent could be retained or used in sign-and-trade scenarios to bring different talent back.

The Warriors could use a more impactful starting center and some supplementary shooting and scoring, providing more space for Butler, who struggled to find any once Curry went down. They could also use a leap from some of their young talent, like Kuminga, Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski, who all struggled at various points of the playoffs.

But that’s been the story the last couple years for the two-timeline Warriors, attempting to compete at the end of Curry’s window while drafting and developing simultaneously. They haven’t escaped the second round since the 2022 title.

The Warriors Season is Over

The Warriors season is over. They played their final four games without Steph Curry and lost all four, failing to give his strained hamstring enough time to heal. Steve Kerr said pregame on Wednesday that Curry would possibly return in Game 6, but there won’t be a Game 6.

Instead, the Warriors can only wonder what could’ve been with a healthy Curry in the second round and prep for a summer of questions about how best to fill out the rotation under Curry.

They believe they’ve given him the necessary second scorer and co-star. Jimmy Butler went quiet in the final two losses to Minnesota, but fit brilliantly next to Curry upon his arrival at the trade deadline, forming an inside-outside scoring combo that delivered a floundering team back to fringe contention.

The Warriors surged from 11th place to seventh. They had the best defense in the league in the final two months. They went 23-7 when Curry and Butler were both in the lineup. They beat the second-seeded Rockets in the first round and were up 30-20 in Game 1 in Minnesota when Curry’s left hamstring gave and their playoff chances essentially disappeared.

Wolves fought complacency in Game 5 win

Only complacency could’ve kept the Minnesota Timberwolves from securing the Warriors series Wednesday night. The Wolves were aware. Ending things in Game 5 required a distinct degree of urgency, and who better to display that from the outset than the man who understands what that means more than any other? Who better to lead the Timberwolves on this night than veteran point guard Mike Conley?

The 18-year pro impacts games in ways that aren’t always tangible. He whispers intel into Anthony Edwards’s ears during timeouts. When the Timberwolves’ coaching staff needs to disseminate a message, it can often rely on Conley. Sometimes, though, his production is paramount. Wednesday became one of those nights. The ball swung to him in rhythm, and Conley buried 3-pointers, hitting 4-of-6 attempts. He zipped timely passes, too. Twice in the second quarter, Conley snagged deflections, then threaded passes between defenders toward center Rudy Gobert. Conley finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. The stat line was not spectacular, but Conley’s rarely is, even when he is stabilizing games that matter in his team’s pursuit of a title.