AFP SAN FRANISCO: Anthony Edwards scored 36 points and rallied the Minnesota Timberwolves for a 102-97 victory over Golden State on Saturday to seize the lead in their NBA playoff series.

The Warriors, missing star guard Stephen Curry with a left hamstring strain, dominated defensively before the T-Wolves battled back in the fourth quarter behind Edwards and Julius Randle, who had a triple double with 24 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

Asked about the keys to a fightback triumph, Edwards said, “Playing as a team, getting stops on the defensive end and limiting those guys to one shot.”

The Timberwolves took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference second-round playoff series with Game 4 on Monday at San Francisco.

“You can’t ever get too comfortable,” Edwards said. “This is a championship DNA team. This is what they do so we’ve got to be ready at all times.”

Edwards had eight points in the first half but scored 28 points in the second half, 13 in the fourth quarter, and made 10 of his last 16 shots.

“I stunk in the first half,” Edwards said. “But you know, that happens. Shots are going to fall. Shots are not going to fall sometimes. But as long as you trust the work, keep shooting it and shoot with confidence, you’ll be all right.”

He praised Randle’s first playoff triple double.

“He’s big time. He has come through in every game for us in the playoffs,” Edwards said. “The way he’s finding people (with passes) and getting us open looks, I can’t ask for nothing better.”

In Saturday’s only other NBA game, defending champion Boston routed New York 115-93 at Madison Square Garden to pull within 2-1 in their Eastern Conference second-round series with game five Monday in New York.

The Celtics had squandered 20-point leads in two home playoff losses to the Knicks with woeful three-point shooting but Boston hit 20-of-40 from beyond the arc and held firm to the finish to blow out New York, knowing no NBA team down 0-3 had rallied to win a series.

“We understood the magnitude of this game,” Boston’s Jayson Tatum said. “We needed this one. Didn’t like the way we felt after last game so just coming out here with the right mindset, just trying to put it all together.”

At San Francisco, the Warriors led 42-40 at halftime without making a three-pointer — their first playoff first half since 2007 without a hoop from beyond the arc.

Butler, who had 18 first-half points, scored six and Kuminga added five in an 11-0 run that gave the Warriors their first lead at 23-21 early in the second quarter.

Golden State kept the T-Wolves without a basket for the last 6:29 of the second quarter and closed the half on a 13-1 run, but Edwards lifted the T-Wolves onto his shoulders and carried them to the finish with a dazzling second-half surge.

Reserve Payton Pritchard, the 2025 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, led Boston’s blowout win with 23 points while Jayson Tatum added 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Jaylen Brown had 19 points and Derrick White scored 17.

“We understand Monday is going to be a great atmosphere, a big game. It’s going to be fun,” Tatum said.

“Just coming out with the right mindset, understanding we played better but we can play a lot better based on a lot of things we did we really didn’t like tonight. So just building off that.”

The Celtics overcame two humbling defeats to boost their chances at Boston’s first back-to-back NBA titles since 1968-69.

“You don’t get into the journey for it to be easy,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “It has been dark, but in a good way. You’ve just got to tap into your darkness and that’s it. That’s what we’ve got to do.”

Jalen Brunson led New York with 27 points while Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Knicks, who have not reached the conference finals since 2000.

“We need to play with more of a sense of urgency,” Brunson said. “I don’t think we came with the mindset we needed. A lot we need to discuss and figure out.”

AP JERSEY CITY, N.J.: Jeeno Thitikul handled a strong wind and a double bogey at the turn by making nine birdies Saturday for a 7-under 65 that gave her a one-shot lead over Celine Boutier going into the final round of the Mizuho Americas Open.

Defending champion Nelly Korda missed a pair of birdie opportunities on the back nine at Liberty National and settled for a 68, leaving her only two shots behind as the No. 1 player in women’s golf goes for her first win of the year.

The LPGA Tour moved up several tees to account for wind strong enough to bend flagsticks, particularly on the closing stretch at Liberty National. That led to some big finishes as players positioned themselves for the final round.

Thitikul, the No. 2 player in women’s golf, was among those who took advantage. She birdied the reachable par-4 16th with water down the right side, picked up another birdie on the 17th and finished at 14-under 202.

“The strategies for today, I just trying to keep it on the fairway and then on the green,” Thitikul said. “I know it’s going to be a really tough day and then I have to be patient out there. So I don’t know how I did that, but like I take it.”

Boutier rolled in a 40-foot birdie putt over a ridge on the 15th — that was a bonus — for the start of three straight birdies. She made par on the 18th for a 66 to leave her one shot behind.

“It was a nice setup today,” Boutier said. “I feel like it was challenging with the wind, but the setup made it possible to have some chances if you were hitting good.”

Korda tried to keep pace with Thitikul and rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt from just off the green at the par-3 14th, which runs along the Hudson River across from the Manhattan skyline. But her drive on the 16th left her a bad angle to chip, and she had to settle for par.

With the wind at her back, she judged her wedge perfectly to 4 feet for birdie at the 17th, and her 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th just stayed on the high side of the hole.

“You just have to dial in to small target and you have to be focused 100 percent on each shot,” Korda said of the tough conditions, rain Friday and wind on a clear Saturday. “You knew you were going to make mistakes. Had a pretty solid day.”

Andrea Lee had her third straight 68 and joined Korda at 12-under 204. Yealimi Noh chipped for eagle on the 16th and shot 67. She was three shots behind.

Thitikul, who opened with a 64, followed with a 73 and then came charging out of the gates in the strongest of the wind. She had four birdies on the front nine until hitting into the hazard in the par-4 sixth and making double bogey.

No matter. She responded with two birdies to erase that mistake, and she had three birdies in four holes to start the back nine and stayed ahead of the pack with her two late birdies.

Starting times are much earlier Sunday for the Mizuho Americas Open to be on network television (CBS) for a 3 p.m. finish. The wind isn’t likely to be a strong, though Boutier said that might present a different set of challenges.

“It’s supposed to be a bit less windy. I’m assuming the scores are going to be kind of low, too,” Boutier said. “We’ll see what happens, but happy to be in this position.”