Warriors Lose Crucial Game 4 at Home
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) shoots as Minnesota Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) defends during the first half of Game 3 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoff series, Saturday, May 24, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr).
“Warriooors! Warriooors! Warriooors!”
The constant cheering from faithful Golden State Warriors fans in Chase Center was not enough to rally the team to victory. Another game sat out by superstar Stephen Curry due to a hamstring injury did not help the Warriors’ chances of evening the series 2-2. The Minnesota Timberwolves head into game five with a 3-1 series lead and the opportunity to close out the series at home.
The Warriors got a quick lead with the first five points of the game. A 12-foot floater from Draymond Green, a free throw from Jimmy Butler III and an easy jump shot from Brandin Podziemski set the tone early.
Shortly after, Julius Randle from the Timberwolves netted a three. On the ensuing possession he grabbed a defensive rebound and drove to the hoop to tie the game. This back-and-forth was the pace of the game up until the half ended at 60-58 in favor of the Warriors.
The halftime performance was just as electric as the first half. The human and dog duo known as “Christian and Scooby” showed off their performing skills with Christian doing handstands and Scooby dunking a toy basketball.
That energy was not matched by the Warriors at the start of the third quarter. Three fouls and two turnovers by the Warriors in the first four minutes of the 3rd quarter put them at a deficit early. The Timberwolves went on a 17-0 run from the 7:45 mark to the 3:08 mark.
This pretty much sealed the deal, with the quarter ending 97-77. Steve Kerr gave one last push by putting in the reserves, who to their credit have played eye-catching basketball throughout the playoffs. They outscored the Warriors starters with 76 points in game 5 of the last series.
The reserves provided a spark that was missing from those who should have brought it. They entered the game with 4:38 left in the game, down 112-91. They finished the game on a 19-5 run, getting the fans who were still in the stands on their feet.
Santa Clara University is not known for creating top tier NBA talent. That has changed in the last couple of years.
Podziemski, better known as “Podz”, is one of two NBA players in the playoffs that hail from Santa Clara University. A transfer from the University of Illinois for his sophomore year campaign, he wasted no time entering the draft following his first year as a Bronco. The Warriors drafted him with the 19th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Jalen “JDub” Williams’ story is a little different. He played three years of college basketball, all as a Bronco. He started in 74 of his 84 career appearances, reaching the 1,000 career point milestone his junior year. The Oklahoma City Thunder drafted him with the 12th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
When their names were called at the NBA Draft, Podz and JDub joined Ken Sears, Bud Ogden and Steve Nash as the only first round selections to come out of Santa Clara.