Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) takes a 3-point shot over Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Sunday Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
MINNEAPOLIS – With his battered right thumb wrapped tightly with a black bandage after surviving a seven-game fight with the Rockets, Warriors superstar Steph Curry predicted another tough series awaits Golden State against Minnesota in the second round.
“You expect physicality, and you expect a bruise-it-out series,” Curry said after shootaround at Target Center on Tuesday morning.
Curry said that his thumb “is in a great place” but noted that it is almost impossible to avoid having it hit during games, something the Rockets did often during a series where he still averaged 24 points per game.
Much like Houston, the Wolves rely on a two-big lineup with Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert, and have a superior athlete at shooting guard in Anthony Edwards.
That is where the similarities end, though.
“Minnesota is a different setup, and they have different patterns they rely on,” Curry said. “Obviously Ant is playing at a high level, and Rudy, what he did in Game 5 of the first round was insane.”
Warriors nemesis Gobert put up 27 points and grabbed 23 rebounds in the closeout game against the Lakers, and will be a handful regardless of whether he’s defended by Draymond Green, Kevon Looney or Quinten Post.
But Edwards is the man the Warriors expect to key on in the second round. The 23-year-old with a penchant for taking down superstars was a teammate of Curry’s at the Paris Olympics.
“He just brought great energy every day in practice and during games,” Curry said of Edwards. “He understood his role on that team was different than what he does here in Minnesota. He transitioned well, and we needed that youthfulness and confidence, and even that chatter.”
Now opponents, Curry detailed why it is so difficult to defend Edwards, the NBA’s leader in 3-pointers made (320) and a well-rounded leaper who also threw down 54 dunks during the regular season.
“He gets good looks from 3 because you have to respect the drive, and when you press up, he can get by,” Curry said. “I don’t know how much you can take away from him, it’s just (that) you have to try to make every possession as difficult as possible.”
The teams played four times during the regular season, but Curry did not believe there was much to glean from those previous matchups, since the last one occurred in January, before the blockbuster trade that sent Jimmy Butler (a former Timberwolves player) from Miami to the Bay Area.
Four months after their last game, Curry’s goal for the two-game set in Minneapolis is straightforward.
“We want to get at least one of the two here, and we’d like it to be tonight,” Curry said.
Originally published at Joseph Dycus