Anthony Edwards Hot Shooting Continues As Minnesota Beats Portland (113-106)

Anthony Edwards Hot Shooting Continues As Minnesota Beats Portland (113-106)

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by | Jan 5, 2023 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves are fresh off beating the Denver Nuggets on Monday. Next, they had the Portland Trail Blazers as the Timberwolves tried to slow down Damian Lillard. The Timberwolves got D’Angelo Russell back in the lineup after missing the game with an illness.

We saw one of the best jobs done on Damian Lillard tonight in a long time. Yes, Dame still got his numbers but the Timberwolves made him work for every basket and even though they fouled a lot tonight he wasn’t able to find a rhythm in the game really. One person that did find his rhythm early in this game was Jerami Grant as he was able to start the game with 20 points before halftime but then left the game with a thigh contusion to come back later. I don’t know if the injury had an impact on how he felt because he finished with only 6 points in the second half but he was going off. Usually, it’s Dame Time for Portland but it was nice to see Lillard/Simons were able to get that help. Lillard was slow to start out but started getting to the free throw line in the second half which got his offense going. Damian Lillard was able to finish the game with 27 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds tonight.

The Timberwolves on the other hand were led by Anthony Edwards who has been sensational all season long. Edwards has been the one consistent Timberwolves player who you can count on with anything it feels like. Tonight he was able to put the Timberwolves on his back with ease. It didn’t matter if Anthony Edwards was being double-teamed or not he still made the right basketball play. The growth in Anthony Edward’s game has been on full display because he can get his teammates involved while still trying to attack the defense. Edward’s finished the game with 32 points, 3 assists, and 7 rebounds.

 

One of the things that stands out the most is that Anthony Edwards has been running the plays down the stretch and making tough decisions. Anthony has been able to make the right basketball play night in and night out and that showed against Portland. Rudy Gobert was able to add 17 points and 12 rebounds on the night. Gobert has been dominant in the painted area but he can be more vicious in the paint with dunks/putbacks. Once this whole team gets together injury free it will be a scary sight. A good sight to see was Taurean Prince as he came right in and looked like he didn’t miss a beat. The Timberwolves have a special treat with a special talent they just have to put it all together.

 

The Timberwolves play against the Clippers on Friday as they go through the gauntlet of playoff teams during this stretch run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Jan 5, 2023 No Comments
Anthony Edwards 2nd Half Eruption Helps Minnesota Beat Nuggets (124-111)

Anthony Edwards 2nd Half Eruption Helps Minnesota Beat Nuggets (124-111)

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by | Jan 3, 2023 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves came into this game on a 6 game losing streak. To break that streak they needed to knock off the Denver Nuggets and the reigning MVP Nikola Jokić. The Nuggets are number one in the West and this was a true test for the Minnesota Timberwolves who were without D’Angelo Russell, Naz Reid, and Karl-Anthony Towns. One person that was there for the Timberwolves was Anthony Edwards as he has become H1M. Anthony started slowly in this game during the first half as he was getting his teammates involved right away.

 

Edwards has been playing with the ball more in his hands as of late which is why we see the uptick in his assists totals. Tonight it was all about his 2nd half and his 3rd quarter where he scored 15 points alone. It didn’t matter who was guarding Edwards tonight he was able to get to his spot against Denver and make them pay. On the night Edwards finished with 29 points, 5 assists, and 10 rebounds. Edwards had some help tonight as McDaniels, Nowell, and Anderson all had 17-plus points tonight. If the Timberwolves can have this much consistency this could be a scary team. Have to also give a lot of credit to Austin Rivers, Kyle Anderson, and Jaden McDaniels who all made some big 3 point shots in the closing moments of the game to clinch the win.

 

The Nuggets have the MVP Jokic and it just wasn’t his night. The Joker finished with 24 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds but it wasn’t enough as he needed some more help. The Nuggets did get Jamal Murray back in the lineup and he poured in 14 points. The Timberwolves were able to defend well in the paint tonight making it tough for Gordon/Porter Jr/Jokic to get anything easy. The Timberwolves will be looking to keep that up as they have the TrailBlazers coming into town on Wednesday. Hopefully, by then the Timberwolves can get Russell or Reid back in the lineup to start a true win streak.

Jan 3, 2023 No Comments
Detroit Pistons Hand Minnesota Their 6th Loss In A Row (116-104)

Detroit Pistons Hand Minnesota Their 6th Loss In A Row (116-104)

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by | Jan 1, 2023 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves came into this game on a 5 game losing streak after dropping a game to Milwaukee last night. Tonight they were facing a Detroit Pistons team with only 9 wins. So coming into this game everyone was expecting a Timberwolves win especially with Rudy Gobert back in the lineup. Well, people thought wrong as the Pistons came into this game with confidence and were hitting shots at a consistent rate. The Timberwolves were leading throughout this game as D’Angelo Russel and Anthony Edwards started this game off hot. They both were able to get anything they wanted inside or outside.

 

The Pistons had no answer for them in the first half of this game. In the second half, Russell & Edwards continued that but the Pistons made adjustments. Both Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell finished the game with a combined 55 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds. The Pistons also adjusted to playing Rudy Gobert as they put Hami Diallo on him in the paint so that they could have active hands on him at all times. The other guys on the Timberwolves that have performed well all season just didn’t have it going tonight but it happens. McDaniels, Reid, and Nowell all could have done better tonight but they have been clutch all season when needed.

 

The Pistons were very scrappy and they played with a lot of intensity on the defensive end. Hami Diallo might not have had the points to be the leading scorer tonight but his effort/energy was all over the place. Hami got it done on the defensive end and was able to create opportunities for his teammates. One of those teammates being Bojan Bogdanović who went bananas against the Timberwolves. It seemed as though every time he was going for a jumper he either got fouled or it went in. Tonight Bojan Bogdanović had 28 points, 5 assists, and 6 rebounds on the night. When he gets hot there is no stopping him even with some of the best Timberwolves defenders in his face. Marvin Bagley III was another player that was able to put in some big minutes tonight as he finished with 18 points tonight. This Pistons team has a lot of heart and made some crucial plays to get the lead and maintain the lead. Huge shoutout to coach Casey as he had his team fighting tonight.

 

The Timberwolves have to get things back on track as they have a tough homestand coming starting with Denver, Portland, and LA Clippers. If they’re going to be one of the best in the west they have to show up in these big games. It’s tough to still figure them out because they haven’t been whole as a unit for so very long but hopefully KAT will be on his way back in early January.

Jan 1, 2023 No Comments
Antetokounmpo’s Monster Double Double Helps Defeat Minnesota (123-114)

Antetokounmpo’s Monster Double Double Helps Defeat Minnesota (123-114)

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by | Dec 31, 2022 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves are on a losing streak right now and it doesn’t help they had to go to Milwaukee to play a red hot Bucks team. This was going to be a tough task knowing that Rudy Gobert was going to be out and they already are without Karl-Anthony Towns. The Timberwolves did have some great news as they got Kyle Anderson back after missing 5 games.

 

The Bucks came out quickly and were making it a point to get Giannis going as he was able to get anything he wanted in the paint. It didn’t matter who was guarding Giannis tonight because when he’s in attack mode he’s either going to get the foul or an and-1 with the stretch he’s been on. The Timberwolves had built a wall and had multiple defenders on Giannis trying to make it tough on him but it didn’t work. Giannis finished the game with 43 points, 5 assists, and 20 rebounds as he was able to dominate in the paint with no Gobert/Towns in sight. When Giannis has it going like this he makes it tough because Minnesota got caught packing the paint trying to stop him but that left a lot of knock down shooters open in this game. When you give the attention to Giannis it opens up players like Bobby Portis and Joe Ingles chances to get their confidence in the offense like they did tonight. Portis was the second leading scorer with 22 points off the bench as he was able to hit some big shots against the Timberwolves. It was a tough game for the Timberwolves to climb back into but they got it all the way down to 5 points in the 4th showing a lot of heart.

 

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves in scoring tonight with 30 points and 10 rebounds. Edwards had a scary fall late in the game that had all of Minnesota holding their breath but he stayed in the game. This team has leaned on Edwards since KAT has been out on the offensive end and he’s answered the call. Edwards was able to score on anyone that the Bucks threw at him tonight and has shown that he’s becoming one of the best players in the NBA. Tonight was just a case of too much of the Greek Freak as he was able to make some MVP type plays and find wide open teammates on breakdowns. The Timberwolves had 6 players in double figures tonight but that wasn’t enough as they needed a little more help. Jaden McDaniels had an off night but the others continued to score at their usual clip as they do nightly. This Timberwolves team hasn’t been able to gel the way people need to see them do with all these injuries and players out. Once this team is back fully healthy we will be able to get their full potential.

 

The Timberwolves will look to end the season on a high note as they take on the Detroit Pistons at home heading into the new year.

Dec 31, 2022 No Comments
Zion’s Career High 43 Points Too Much For Minnesota Down The Stretch (119-118)

Zion’s Career High 43 Points Too Much For Minnesota Down The Stretch (119-118)

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by | Dec 28, 2022 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming into this game on a 3 game-losing streak. The Timberwolves were going to be short-handed in this one without Kyle Anderson. Karl-Anthony Towns has been out since they played the Wizards in DC and they definitely need to get the whole team back ASAP.

The Pelicans were down throughout the game as the Timberwolves had their number. It wasn’t until midway through the 4th quarter that this game was really decided. Minnesota was hitting some big shots but just made a couple of turnovers down the stretch. Both Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell scored 27 points each but it wasn’t enough against the Pelicans. Tonight was all about Zion Williamson as he was able to drop a career-high 43 points. Zion was taking it to the Timberwolves and imposed his will on both sides of the ball. Zion was able to score inside and outside as it seemed as though he couldn’t miss at all in the 4th. When Zion gets it going like this he’s unstoppable and he’s one of those players that can change a game overall. The Timberwolves had no answer for Zion down the stretch and that’s pretty much how they lost this one. It was a close one that the Timberwolves had in the bag as they were able to get what they wanted offensively. It was the dominance of Zion that took over and that alone was a tough task to overcome.

 

(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Dec 28, 2022 No Comments
Minnesota Timberwolves Lose Close One Down In Miami (113-110)

Minnesota Timberwolves Lose Close One Down In Miami (113-110)

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by | Dec 26, 2022 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves came to Miami for a win the day after Christmas. They came up short on the last play of the game as this was one of those games where we didn’t know what to expect. The Miami Heat played without Bam Adebayo & Jimmy Butler who were out tonight. With Bam out the Timberwolves weren’t able to establish much of a presence on the inside with Rudy Gobert. This game showed a lot of growth in maturity in Anthony Edwards game. It was one of those games when he was able to hit shot after shot for Minnesota. Edwards has been the bright spot for this Timberwolves team that has been trying to figure it out. Edwards was making it tough on anyone that was guarding him in a Heat jersey whether it was Martin, Strus, or Lowry. Anthony Edwards tried to will the Timberwolves to a victory but they came up short. Anthony Edwards finished with 29 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds.

 

One player that Coach Finch will need to get more minutes even when Karl-Anthony Towns comes back is Naz Reid. This man Naz Reid has been on a scoring frenzy as of late because his ability to put the ball on the floor and shoot from outside has him looking unstoppable. Reid has been able to be a mismatch for almost every matchup that he sees and he’s so quick with his first step it leaves his defenders in the dust. Tonight Naz Reid was able to add 21 points, 2 assists, and 11 rebounds. The lack of bigs in the paint tonight made it too easy for Naz Reid to get busy inside and out. The Timberwolves lost but it wasn’t because of Edwards or Reid as both were able to put in the work. Rudy Gobert and D’Angelo Russell didn’t get their usual points that were expected but that also goes with the game flow and who’s the hot hand at the time.

 

The Miami Heat were dominating in the paint tonight as they were able to score 64 points in there. The Miami Heat also got 45 points from the bench tonight as well. Tonight it was Max Strus who was able to score 19 points in only 24 minutes of play that stood out. Strus hit some big shots in the first half and that led to the second half. Tyler Herro made some big shots including his step back in the late seconds of the 4th. This Miami Heat team is battle tested and they were able to make the best of the situation in front of them. The Heat have the next-man-up mentality and they were able to grind out the win.

 

The Timberwolves will be heading to New Orleans to play against the Pelicans as they try to snap this 3 game-losing streak.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)

Dec 26, 2022 No Comments