Explained, Warriors coach Cole explains why Butler and Green have limited playing time in the second game

Steve Cole explained some interesting things about the team’s roster adjustment after the Warriors lost to the Timberwolves in Game 2, after Stephen Curry was out.

On Wednesday, the Golden State Warriors lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 93-117, and the series tied 1-1. Steve Cole made some interesting roster adjustments in the game due to Stephen Curry's long absence due to a hamstring strain. The Warriors became the first team in NBA history to send 14 players in the first half of the playoffs.

In this loss, Jimmy Butler played for 34 minutes and Draymond Green played for 29 minutes. Cole then explained his conservative roster adjustment strategy.

"I don't want Draymond or Jimmy to be too strong," the coach told The Athletic's Anthony Slater. "Unless there is a real chance to win, I don't want to chase points desperately. We obviously launched an offense in the second half. But when we were on the court, we thought about letting a lot of people play for a short time and trying to protect Jimmy and Green. They play for a long time every other day and fly across the country. We have to weigh it." The Warriors trailed 15-29 at the end of the first quarter and 39-56 at the end of the half. They narrowed the gap to 7 points in the middle of the third quarter, but were soon hit by the Timberwolves with an 11-0 offensive, allowing the Timberwolves to control the game for the rest of the time.

Steve Cole explained how the Warriors performed a deep rotation in their second game loss to the Timberwolves.

Butler played for 17 minutes in the second half and 8 minutes in the fourth quarter; Green played for 14 minutes in the second half and only 4 minutes in the last quarter. Jonathan Cumingga came on as a substitute for 26 minutes, making 8 of 11 shots, scoring the team's highest 18 points. Teres Jackson Davis came on the bench for 19 minutes, made 6 of 6 shots, scoring 15 points and 6 rebounds.

"Part of the game plan is to get a lot of people on the court," Cole said. "Part of the reason is obviously that we've had a long road trip and game and we've been exhausted, but part of the reason is that we have to figure out what we can do in this series without Stephen. We gave a lot of people a lot of opportunities and then some people really came forward."

"Trees and Jonathan both did a great job in this game. You can tell that their athleticism is important." I think we played a very motivated offensive and pulled the score to 7 points, but after that we were a little lost. After the timeout, we made several mistakes and some mistakes on the defensive end, losing several 3-pointers. But we learned a lot and I think this game will help us find the way forward. The Warriors and Timberwolves will play their third game on Saturday with the Golden State Warriors.