It was already turning into a heated playoff night at Chase Center. But the real fireworks didn’t go off until Jonathan Kuminga flew through the lane and nearly tore the rim off. That one thunderous dunk, right in Anthony Edwards’ face, set the tone for a wild second half.
Here’s the twist: while the Golden State Warriors needed that fire to carry them home, it was the Minnesota Timberwolves who fed off it and finished the job.
Jonathan Kuminga’s Dunk Lit the Fuse for Anthony Edwards
The Minnesota Timberwolves’ 102-97 win in Game 3 didn’t just give the team a 2-1 series lead, it flipped the emotional tide of the night. And, apparently, it was Kuminga who unknowingly handed them the lighter.
With just over four minutes to go in the third quarter, Kuminga caught a backdoor feed, rose up, and banged one down with authority over Edwards. He screamed. In Edwards’ face. Right then and there, the switch flipped.
“Nah, I feel like when Kuminga dunked on me, that got me going,” Edwards told reporters, via SportsCenter. “More so than anything.”
"When Kuminga dunked on me, that got me going."
Anthony Edwards on what motivated him in the second half 👀 pic.twitter.com/QqzHfYpwAQ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter)
It showed. With under two minutes left in the same quarter, Edwards knifed into the paint, launched off the floor like a missile, and delivered a vicious poster slam on Golden State big man Kevon Looney.
This time, Edwards screamed back. A little louder. A little harder.
He didn’t stop there. He also cashed in a cold-blooded three-pointer to give the Timberwolves some much-needed juice heading into crunch time.
Warriors Fight Back, Fail to Close Door
On the other side, Golden State didn’t go down quietly. Not even close.
Kuminga dropped a playoff-career-high 30 points. He added six boards, three dimes, and two blocks. Jimmy Butler III held the fort with 33 points and gave the Warriors every bit of life he could possibly muster.
It wasn’t enough. The Warriors led at halftime and held on tight into the fourth quarter, but the offense stalled late. Draymond Green fouled out, and no one else outside of Buddy Hield (14 points) showed up. That final stretch exposed a team still trying to figure things out without injured superstar Stephen Curry.
Edwards slammed the door shut late in the game. Now, with Curry still unlikely for Game 4, Golden State finds itself in a must-win spot again.
The Timberwolves are hungry. Edwards is fired up. And if Game 3 was any sign, this best-of-seven Western Conference series just found a new edge. And it all came from a Kuminga dunk.
