LOS ANGELES (AFP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves routed the Golden State Warriors to advance to the National Basketball Association (NBA) Western Conference finals on Wednesday as the Boston Celtics kept their playoff campaign alive with a blowout victory over the New York Knicks.

The Timberwolves, who had dominated the Warriors to open up a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, once again proved too strong for the seven-time NBA champions as they powered to a 121-110 win in Minneapolis.

The victory completed a 4-1 series triumph for the Timberwolves, who return to the Western Conference finals for a second straight season, where they will meet Denver or Oklahoma City for a place in next month’s NBA Finals.

The Warriors, whose playoff campaign was derailed by an injury to Stephen Curry in game one against Minnesota, once again struggled to generate any offensive fluency in the absence of their superstar talisman.

Instead it was left to the Timberwolves to pull clear after taking the lead early in the first quarter, their greater size and shooting accuracy leaving them in total control for long periods.