Julius Randle scored 29 points on 13-for-18 shooting to send the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals for the second straight year with a 121-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Anthony Edwards had 22 points and 12 assists for the sixth-seeded Wolves, who will face the Denver-Oklahoma City winner next. They could get as many as five days off if the Nuggets beat the Thunder on Thursday to force a Game 7 in the other West semifinal series.

Brandin Podziemski had a playoff career-high 28 points for the Warriors, who again played without star Stephen Curry because of the hamstring strain that forced him out of the second quarter in Game 1 and took the heart out of their entire offensive operation.

Jonathan Kuminga provided another energy boost off the bench with 26 points, but Podziemski's performance came too late and the production from Jimmy Butler and Buddy Hield was consistently too little after they led the series-opening win. The Warriors had not lost four straight games in a single postseason since 1972.

Golden State presented far more of a defensive challenge than the Los Angeles Lakers did for Minnesota during their five-game series in the first round, but the collection of every-level scorers the Wolves can throw at an opponent when they are moving the ball and pushing the pace simply wore down the Warriors over the course of this series.

Rudy Gobert was a force around the rim with 17 points, Mike Conley had 16 points and eight assists, and Donte DiVincenzo snapped out of a slump with 13 points as the Wolves shot 77% on 2-pointers (36 for 47).

Randle kept up his superb postseason, providing a constant source of energy and production. After grabbing the rebound of Draymond Green's missed 3-pointer, Jaden McDaniels sent an outlet pass to Randle for a layup and a three-point play for a 62-47 lead that ignited the crowd.

HOWL YEAH. pic.twitter.com/ZbYwPFw9mW

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 15, 2025

Celtics roll to force Game 6

Derrick White had 34 points, including seven 3-pointers, to lead the Boston Celtics to a 127-102 Game 5 win over the New York Knicks that kept them alive in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Celtics connected on 22 3-pointers to post their first home victory of the series and first without Jayson Tatum following his season-ending Achilles tendon injury.

The Knicks will try again to win the series on Friday in New York. If the Celtics win, Game 7 will be in Boston on Monday.

Jaylen Brown added 26 points and 12 assists and Luke Kornet finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks.

The Celtics are looking to become just the 14th team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit in 294 attempts.

Josh Hart led the Knicks with 24 points despite briefly leaving the game late in the first quarter to close a bloody gash on his face after he took an inadvertent elbow.

Jalen Brunson added 22 points before fouling out with 7:19 to play in the game.

Boston trailed by nine points in the first half but closed the third quarter on a 23-9 run and took a 91-76 lead to the fourth. Brunson spent the final 2:45 of the third on the bench after picking up his fifth foul.

The Celtics kept it going in the final period, pushing their lead as high as 28 points.

BARK BARK BARK BARK pic.twitter.com/ar1bQRZzK1

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 15, 2025