A playoff career-high from Jonathan Kuminga and 63 combined points from he and Jimmy Butler hasn't been enough for the Golden State Warriors, with the Minnesota Timberwolves claiming a 102-97 Game 3 victory at Chase Center to take a 2-1 series lead.
Kuminga backed up a positive performance in Game 2 with arguably the best outing of his entire career, going for 30 points without Stephen Curry as the Warriors held a five-point lead in the fourth-quarter.
The Warriors missed a huge opportunity in Game 3
It was Anthony Edwards who took over for the Timberwolves down the stretch, going for 26 points of his 36 points in the second-half as the superstar guard finally found an ominous rhythm to take forward in the remainder of the series.
Butler had been the dominant force through the first three-quarters, but didn't add to his 33 points in the final eight minutes as the 6x All-Star seemingly ran out of gas. It was the activation of 'Playoff Jimmy' that Warrior fans had wanted to see, though it dissapeared down the stretch with the Timberwolves outscoring the hosts 33-24 in the final period.
Kuminga again came off the bench as Steve Kerr started second-year big Trayce Jackson-Davis, yet the 22-year-old still saw 36 minutes in what was the most complete performance of his career in a meaningful playoff environment.
Kuminga's 18 points in Game 2 equalled his playoff career-high, only to smash through that on Saturday as his 30 points came on 11-of-18 shooting while adding six rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the five-point defeat.
Golden State went without a single made 3-pointer in the entire first-half, but Buddy Hield came alive in the second with four makes on his way to 14 points, four rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes.
The decisive moment of the game may have come in the third-quarter where the Warriors challenged a contentious foul on Draymond Green, with the call not overturned to an offensive one on Julius Randle.
It meant Green had to leave the game due to his fourth foul, allowing the Minnesota offense to find a groove after being suffocated until that point. The veteran forward then picked up two more quick fouls mid-way through the fourth, forcing him to exit the game with nearly five minutes remaining and the Timberwolves up two.
Green was important defensively but had just two points on 1-of-4 shooting, while also committing five of his team's 14 turnovers. Brandin Podziemski also shot just 1-of-10 from the floor for five points, with he, Green, Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II combining to shoot 4-of-22.
It was a gallant effort from the Warriors but will ultimately end as a really big missed opportunity, making Game 4 on Monday a must-win as they try and buy time for Curry to possibly make a return later in the series.