The Timberwolves Fall Short In Phoenix (107-100) Snapping Their 4 Game Win Streak
FeaturedThe hype and the anticipation for this game grew as sources said that Kevin Durant would return to the lineup tonight. Well, Kevin Durant did just that and gave this Phoenix Suns team a boost before the game even started. On the Timberwolves’ side, they were coming into this game on a 4 game winning streak but also had many players not feeling well. The Wolves players Anthony Edwards and Kyle Anderson toughed it out and were available for tonight’s game.
Let’s put this in the clear now that Jaden McDaniels didn’t have his best offensive game tonight. That being said he did an amazing job defending Kevin Durant in that first half. We all know that Durant is one of the best if not the best scorers in the NBA and McDaniels made it tough on him. KD didn’t score his first points of the game until 6:32 left in the 2nd quarter and a lot of it could have been done with his rust from not being on the court for a couple of weeks now. Kevin Durant settled in and when he got it going in that 2/3rd quarter stretch all you can do is tip your cap. Durant was making some tough shots and was able to get some nice And-1 plays in the paint. In just his first game back he finished with 16 points but this Suns team is going to be scary when he’s up to speed. This was a great taste for the Timberwolves who haven’t lost in a week as they prepare for this playoff push. Devin Booker was the key to this Suns win and he was a true problem for the Timberwolves all night long. Booker was aggressive and was able to get to his spots when he had mismatches with ease. Booker was able to get to the free throw line 15 times tonight making 12 of them. Devin Booker is able to create his shot and knows how to create space to get the look he wants at an elite level. Devin Booker finished the game with 29 points and 5 assists as the Timberwolves had no answer down the stretch with the momentum already shifted on some 50/50 plays while the Suns fans were going wild. Chris Paul showcased in that 4th quarter exactly what it means to be a floor general as he was able to connect with DeAndre Ayton for some impressive alley-oop passes and made some timely shots. The Timberwolves did a great job of limiting the Suns in the half-court but got beat in transition something that will improve with time. Phoenix made every right play it seemed in that 2nd half and it will be tough to beat a team like them with 10+ turnovers in a game.
The Timberwolves had this game right where they wanted but just didn’t make the plays to take it from them in the 4th. The Timberwolves had a lot of chances in the 4th to make some big shots and every one of the shots when they needed it didn’t go down. Sometimes the ball goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t. Tonight the shots didn’t fall for the Timberwolves in the 4th but there were still a lot of bright spots in this game. Jaden McDaniels was in foul trouble but when he was on the floor he made a huge impact on the defensive end and offensive end. Anthony Edwards still had a game-high 31 points as he was playing borderline sick and he showed tonight that he can hang with the best of them shot for shot. Karl-Anthony Towns was amazing in only his 3rd game back he’s been looking like he hasn’t missed a single stop and his shot-making ability has been on full display. Rudy Gobert has been a complete monster on the boards and has been able to really anchor this defense, especially tonight in the paint against the Suns. So this is one of those games where the Timberwolves fans can hold their heads high and be proud of the team even though they didn’t win. The second unit continues to grow and Naz Reid has bloomed into one of the smoothest offensive players I’ve witnessed so they lost tonight but they only dropped to 7th in the west.
The Timberwolves have a matchup against the Lakers as D’Angelo Russell will be back in Minnesota for the 1st time since the trade in February. Both teams are fighting for playoff positioning so this should be a high-scoring game.
Photo Credit: (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Timberwolves Beat The Kings (119-115) To Extend Win Streak To Four
FeaturedThe Minnesota Timberwolves came into this game with the Sacramento Kings looking to get 4 wins in a row. They would be doing so without Karl-Anthony Towns who will be out for injury management. The Kings are full strength and have been battling with the Wolves all season in the games they played.
In Golden State it was Mike Conley who got the party started for the Timberwolves. Tonight it was Jaden McDaniels who was limited against the Warriors due to foul trouble. Jaden got right to business tonight as he started the game off 6/6 from the field for 13 points. One thing about Jaden is the fact his defense builds his confidence for his offense and it’s definitely showing since the All Star Break. The Kings didn’t know how to contain him tonight and Jaden was able to exploit his mismatch when they switched Fox or Heurter on him throughout the night. Jaden got them started with his points and finished with 20 at the end of the night.
This was a collected effort from the Timberwolves as they had 7 players in double figures tonight. When the Wolves play this well balanced it seems as though no one can stop them. The Wolves have gained consistent production from the bench as Naz Reid and Jaylen Nowell combined for 32 points tonight. If they can keep this up the Wolves would be a team no one wants to see. Rudy Gobert has been a beast in the paint as of late and his numbers have spiked since Edwards went down tonight he had 16 points and 16 rebounds. Sabonis had no answer for Rudy Gobert and the Timberwolves made it tough for them all night long.
Fox finished with 29 points and Sabonis had 24 points/10 rebounds but Minnesota stopped the others from going off. The defense was swarming all night and made it extremely hard on the other guys on the Kings to gain any traction on the offensive end. This is the Minnesota Timberwolves team that we envisioned when Rudy got traded here and it’s paying off big time.
The Timberwolves will be heading to Phoenix to take on the Suns in a game that should be EPIC especially with hints of Kevin Durant coming back in the lineup.
Photo Credit: (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
The Minnesota Timberwolves Late Defense & Big Shots Defeat Golden State (99-96)
FeaturedDon’t look now but the Minnesota Timberwolves are on a 3 game-winning streak. They’re now 2-0 with Karl-Anthony Towns back in the lineup after the big-time win in Golden State tonight. Coming into this game a lot of people didn’t give the Timberwolves a chance but they showed that they could play to a high level. This has been the healthiest the Timberwolves have been in a long time and it’s the perfect time with the postseason around the corner.
The Timberwolves came out aggressive in this game as Mike Conley set the tone for them early with 4 big 3-pointers. Those shots were huge because they got them into a nice offensive groove and they were able to get set on defense a lot better after made shots. The Timberwolves were able to get Stephen Curry in foul trouble early in this one as he had 2 quick ones in the 1st quarter. Once the Timberwolves were able to get Steph in foul trouble they attacked and were able to get the Warriors into some mismatches. Just like Steph getting into foul trouble tonight wasn’t the night for Jaden McDaniels as he was in foul trouble the whole night too. With McDaniels in foul trouble that gave Kyle Anderson some more opportunities and he made the best of them tonight. This was easily one of the best defensive games we’ve seen from Kyle as he was able to have his hands in the passing lanes all night long. Kyle is known for his playmaking ability but he was able to showcase some defensive intensity in this game as well. Throughout the game, Kyle had some big steals, and his 3 steals in the 4th quarter helped the Timberwolves beat the Warriors tonight. Rudy Gobert was a man among boys in the paint tonight as he was able to bring down 18 rebounds and finished with 10 points. This is what the Wolves fans have been missing because now Rudy can worry about defending the paint and grabbing boards while KAT gets the chance to help defensively while scoring.
Speaking of Karl-Anthony Towns he made a couple of big 3-pointers in this game when the Timberwolves needed it and none bigger than the one he hit after Anderson’s steal in transition. It’s safe to say that KAT is made for these moments and he embraces being the man when the lights are at their brightest. It was Anthony Edwards first game coming back after his ankle injury and you can tell his game was off a little as he wasn’t as aggressive as he usually was tonight. Even with Edwards and McDaniels having off nights the Wolves still got the win and Naz Reid had a lot to do with that. It seemed as though Naz Reid can do no wrong as he was able to hit some big 3 pointers and he was able to cause havoc in the paint the Warriors had no answer for him with Rudy or KAT on the court as well. Naz finished with 23 points in only 20 minutes tonight. Karl-Anthony said it last game that the Wolves need to find a way to keep Naz in the rotation and it looks as though they have found that way. The Team is playing with a lot of confidence and they will be playing the Sacramento Kings tomorrow coming off a back-to-back.
The only person that really had it going for the Warriors tonight was Jordan Poole as he finished with 27 points tonight. The Timberwolves’ perimeter defense was all over the Warriors tonight and made it tough on all the shooters. This was a huge win as they were able to limit the Splash Brothers and they made it clear that they were only going to allow them a chance to get buckets in the paint, not the 3-point line. The Wolves took advantage of some bad passes and made the best of the chances they had to attack at the rim as they played a complete game in Golden State to come out victorious.
Photo Credit: (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Return Of Karl-Anthony Towns Propels Minnesota To Victory (125-124)
FeaturedThis one of those special nights when you just knew everything was going to go the Timberwolves way especially getting Karl-Anthony Towns back in the lineup. Karl missed the last 52 games and was ready to come out hitting the ground running with aggression.
Taurean Prince’s 35 Point Performance Propels Minnesota To Victory In NYC (140-134)
FeaturedThe Timberwolves came into this game in New York searching for a victory to bounce back in the Western Conference standings. Minnesota got some good news with Anthony Edwards injury as the swelling in his right ankle has gone down. He’s considered day to day and that’s really good knowing it was a scary sight.
The Knicks and Timberwolves came out on fire as it seemed like no one could miss in this game. One of the players that couldn’t was Minnesota’s Taurean Prince. Tonight was all about Prince as he was able to keep the Timberwolves in the game with his sharpshooting. Prince had a season high 35 points as it looked like any time the Timberwolves needed a big shot they went to Taurean. This is a true testament to the professionalism that Prince has as he was just waiting for his moment and that came tonight.
Prince hit a career high 8 (3 pointers) as the man couldn’t miss tonight. This was a huge boost to the team as Jaden McDaniels went out the game early with 3 fouls. It was Prince, Gobert, and Anderson who kept the team intact when McDaniels went out early. Rudy Gobert was able to set the tone in the paint early and that allowed the other players to get their rhythm. Rudy finished the game with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. None of the Knicks players were able to contain Gobert and that made it easier for the shooters on Minnesota to take full advantage. The Timberwolves had 7 scorers in double figures and this was a huge win for Minnesota. Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson were huge tonight as well because they were able to get the ball in the players sweet spots. They also have a lot of basketball IQ that was on full display.
The Knicks gave the Timberwolves a fight as Julius Randle made his presence known in this matchup. On the night Randle finished with 57 points as the Timberwolves didn’t mind him scoring it seemed as long as the other players weren’t making shots they could live with Randle. The Timberwolves were having trouble containing Randle but the good thing about it was the fact that defensively they looked good shutting down the second/third options.
The Timberwolves play at home against the ATL Hawks next and will look to stack up some wins to move up in the playoff standings.
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