Wolves down Warriors to clinch series

Julius Randle scored 29 points on 13-for-18 shooting to send the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals for the second straight year with a 121-110 Game 5 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.

Anthony Edwards had 22 points and 12 assists for the sixth-seeded Wolves, who will face the winner of the other West semifinal series between Denver and Oklahoma City next. They could get five days off if the Nuggets beat the Thunder on Thursday to force a Game 7.

Brandin Podziemski had a playoff career-high 28 points for the Warriors, who again played without star Stephen Curry because of the hamstring strain that forced him out of the second quarter in Game 1, taking the heart out of their entire offensive operation.