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Over the past three seasons, things have had a tendency to get heated whenever the Minnesota Timberwolves face the Golden State Warriors. The Timberwolves have embraced their identity of overwhelming other teams with their size, and the Warriors, as a result, look to ramp up the physicality to make up for the height disparity. The ongoing beef between Rudy Gobert and Draymond Green only serves to make Timberwolves-Warriors games quite the volatile affair.
Even the Timberwolves' 117-93 win over the Warriors in Game 2 of their second-round matchup, as easy as it might have looked on the box score, still exacted a physical toll on the winning team. In particular, Gobert had a tough night out there as he bobbled multiple passes and even had it slam right into his face, noticeably sending him into a daze.
In fact, as revealed by The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski, the basketball hit Gobert straight in the eye, causing it to be “red” after the game. Gobert was obviously in pain, and cameras even caught him massaging his right eye to try and give himself some temporary reprieve from the pain he was feeling.
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 9, 2025
Gobert ended up playing just 27 minutes on the night, and the Timberwolves definitely had plenty of breathing room in Game 2 which allowed them to have their most crucial players take it easy on the night.
It's not quite clear how this knock to the head that Gobert suffered in Game 2 will affect him moving forward in the Warriors series. He won't have much time to rest, however, as Game 3 of the series will tip off tomorrow night at around 8:30 PM E.T.
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Timberwolves look to take control of the series
With the Warriors missing Stephen Curry, who is dealing with a hamstring injury that would keep him out for at least a week (dating back to Game 1), the Timberwolves have a golden opportunity to take a commanding lead in the series even with the next two games being on the road.
Anthony Edwards is yet to have a monster game in the series, and Julius Randle appears to be relishing the challenge of leading the team from a physicality standpoint. The Timberwolves have also busted out of their three-point shooting slump, which is bad news for a Warriors team missing the services of the greatest three-point shooter of all-time.
But at the end of the day, the Warriors can still shock the world by punching above their weight class, especially with Jimmy Butler leading the way. So while they may be favored, the Timberwolves know that they cannot rest on their laurels.
