**Minnesota Timberwolves Advance to Western Conference Finals**

MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Timberwolves are once again in the NBA's final four, securing a spot in the Western Conference finals for the second consecutive year. They are patiently awaiting the outcome of the Thursday night showdown between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets.

Over in the East, the Boston Celtics, playing their first game without Jayson Tatum following his Achilles tendon rupture, managed to keep their playoff hopes alive. They achieved a crucial win against the New York Knicks, which reduced the Knicks' series lead to 3-2.

The NBA playoffs began with 16 teams, and now only six remain. Minnesota managed an impressive comeback in their series against the Golden State Warriors, who won the opening game but faltered afterwards due to Stephen Curry's strained hamstring sidelining him for the rest of the series. The Timberwolves capitalized on Curry's absence, finishing strong with a 4-0 run in the subsequent games.

Minnesota is now set to face the winner of the Thunder-Nuggets matchup in the West finals. Game 1 will be scheduled for either Sunday or Tuesday, depending on the outcome of Thursday night's game. Other dates for the series include May 24 for Game 3, May 26 for Game 4, with potential Game 5, Game 6, and Game 7 slated for May 28, May 30, and June 1 respectively.

In the East, the Indiana Pacers await the victor of the Boston-New York series for their conference final clash. This series will start on Wednesday, with subsequent games on May 23, May 25, May 27, May 29, May 31, and a potential Game 7 on June 2. All eastern conference games will begin at 8 p.m. ET, and be broadcasted on TNT.

A historic performance by the Timberwolves saw them set a new standard for 2-point shooting in the playoffs. They achieved an unprecedented accuracy of 76.6% on their 2-point attempts, going 36 for 47 inside the arc. This surpasses the previous record of 75.6% set by Philadelphia in 2022. Key contributors included Julius Randle, who went 11 for 12, Rudy Gobert with 8 for 9, and the Wolves' reserves, who collectively shot 7 for 8.

The NBA has seen a rare occurrence with No. 6 seeds making the conference finals in consecutive seasons: Indiana last year and Minnesota this year after a 27-year drought for the seeding.

Golden State’s struggles on the road without Stephen Curry were highlighted by a 0-6 record in their last six away games, where they lost by an average margin of 15.3 points. “We had a shot, but things didn’t go our way. But like I said, Minnesota deserves the credit. They were the better team,” said Golden State coach Steve Kerr.