The Minnesota Timberwolves didn't fall into the same trap as the Warriors on Wednesday night.
Given the chance to pull off a first-round NBA playoff series upset, the Timberwolves seized the moment, beating the No. 3-seeded Los Angeles Lakers 103-96 in Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena.
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WATCH HEREMinnesota, the Western Conference's No. 6 seed, advances to the conference semifinals, where it awaits the winner of the Golden State-Houston series.
The Warriors lost Game 5 131-116 at Toyota Center and now lead the Rockets 3-2. Game 6 is set for 6 p.m. PT on Friday at Chase Center.
If the Warriors beat the Rockets in Game 6, they would travel to Minneapolis for the start of the Western Conference semifinals, which could begin as early as Sunday.
If the Rockets force a Game 7 with the Warriors, the second-round series likely wouldn't begin until Tuesday night.
Should the Warriors advance to face the Timberwolves, their regular-season record should benefit them, as Golden State took three of the four meetings this season.
Golden State Warriors
But the Warriors have to take care of business against the Rockets first before they can think about the Timberwolves.
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