Buddy Hield<\/a> and Draymond Green<\/a> delivered from 3-point range with Golden State star Stephen Curry<\/a> suddenly sidelined by a hamstring strain, and the Warriors<\/a> opened the second-round series with an inspired 99-88 victory over the stumbling Timberwolves<\/a> on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n Hield picked up where he left off in the Game 7 win at Houston that finished the first round by scoring 24 points on 5-for-8 3-point shooting.<\/p>\n Jimmy Butler had 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists and Green had four first-half 3s on his way to 18 points, as the Warriors used 12 players, plenty of hustle and lockdown defense to overcome the concerning departure of their sharpshooting leader.<\/p>\n The home teams have yet to win in the second round of these NBA<\/a> playoffs. In the conference semifinals, visiting teams \u00a0combined to go 4-0 in Game 1s, the first time that has happened during this round in the league\u2019s playoff history.<\/p>\n Minnesota has another chance to get one in Game 2 on Thursday.<\/p>\n The big question: Will Curry be available? The league’s career-leading 3-point shooter and four-time NBA champion exited early in the second quarter<\/a> after hitting a 14-footer and grabbing the back of his left leg. The Warriors ruled him out for the remainder of the game soon after that.<\/p>\n Warriors coach Steve Kerr shrewdly sent a zone defense at a Wolves team that went 7-for-47 from 3-point range in a convincing win over the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> in the Game 5 clincher in the first round, and the bricks piled up even higher after nearly a week off.<\/p>\n The Wolves missed their first 16 shots from 3-point range until they were down by 20 and Naz Reid<\/a> drained one from the wing with 8:32 left in the third quarter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Anthony Edwards<\/a> had 23 points and 14 rebounds after a particularly rough start, finishing 9-for-22 from the floor. Reid had 19 points and Julius Randle<\/a> added 16 points for the Wolves, who finished 5-for-29 from behind the arc and trailed by 23 points late in the third.<\/p>\n Reporting by The Associated Press.<\/i><\/p>\n Want great stories delivered right to your inbox?\u00a0<\/i>Create or log in to your FOX Sports account<\/u><\/i><\/a>, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Get more from National Basketball Association<\/span> Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more<\/span>
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