The Minnesota Timberwolves Lose A Close One In Portland (124-118)

The Minnesota Timberwolves Lose A Close One In Portland (124-118)

Featured

by | Dec 10, 2022 | Featured, NBA

 

 

The Minnesota Timberwolves were coming into this back-to-back with a win against Utah. Tonight they ran into a Trailblazers team that was ready and waiting. The Timberwolves had 5 players in double digits as they were trying to slow down Portland. This was one of those games that were neck and neck the whole time as both teams were scoring at a high rate. Anthony Edwards was doing his part scoring and he’s been turning into a true two-way player right before our eyes. Anthony Edwards has been learning how to get into passing lanes and turning that into easy points. Edwards has been in a groove lately and he was able to finish with 26 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds on the night.

 

D’Angelo Russell has been on a roll with his scoring as of late in the 4th quarter. The Timberwolves needed it against Portland but you can’t get them every night. Russell did have a great game finishing with 24 points, 3 assists, and 1 rebound. When Russell has the chance to showcase his passing ability it puts the Timberwolves in a better position tonight they defended him with doubles preventing it. Rudy Gobert was matched up with Jusuf Nurkić on the night as both of them battled it out. Rudy finished with 24 points, 2 assists, and 9 rebounds but Portland made him work for every point. The Timberwolves needed some more points down the stretch and it comes down to taking care of the ball in crunch time. It’s all about taking care of the ball and playing at your own pace and the TrailBlazers had them speeding up the tempo. Once you speed the tempo up when you’re better in half-court it messes up the rhythm. The Timberwolves are going to be able to get some payback as they play the TrailBlazers again Monday.

 

Portland was still pissed off from losing to the Nuggets the other night and made it a point to win tonight. Damian Lillard came out firing and he was on his Dame Time from the jump. When Lillard is in a zone like he was in tonight it doesn’t matter who you have on him. The Timberwolves will definitely look at the footage and see how they can avoid that moving forward. On the night Damian Lillard had 36 points, 8 assists, and 3 rebounds. Dame was able to get his teammates involved early and he was able to get his offense going too. When Dame plays like this he makes the TrailBlazers a lot better and he gets his teammates to believe the same thing.

 

One of those players that have been believing that Portland can make some noise alongside Damian Lillard is Anfernee Simons. Tonight Simons had 31 points and was able to make the Timberwolves pay if they doubled Lillard. Simons has been able to make teams pay when they pay too much attention to Dame. If they both can play at this high level every night then the TrailBlazers can be a great pick to sneak into the playoffs just like Minnesota.

 

These two teams will go back at it for Round 2 on Tuesday as Minnesota tries to get an even split in this season series.

Dec 10, 2022 No Comments
Timberwolves Take Care Of Business In Gobert’s Return To Utah (118-108)

Timberwolves Take Care Of Business In Gobert’s Return To Utah (118-108)

Featured

by | Dec 9, 2022 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves came into this game after a big win against Indiana. This was a big game because this was Rudy Gobert’s first time back in Utah as a visitor after the blockbuster trade that shook up the NBA world. Rudy Gobert let it be known that Utah will always be home as he played in Utah for 9 years. The way he came out tonight and put on a show looked like he wanted to let the current Jazz team know it was still his house. The Jazz did a nice tribute for Rudy Gobert after the first timeout and they gave him a standing ovation. Rudy was able to get a dunk in the first play of the game, which set the stage for the rest of his dominant evening. There was no player on the Utah Jazz that was able to guard Rudy and it was undeniable. Rudy was able to get putbacks and was able to get position whenever he wanted in the paint against Kessler. On the night Rudy Gobert finished with 22 points & 13 rebounds and was able to set the tone for the night for Minnesota.

 

The players on the Timberwolves played off the energy of the crowd but also Rudy’s energy as they definitely had his back tonight. D’Angelo Russell has been putting on a show as he’s proving to everyone that he can be one of the best scorers in the NBA on this stretch he’s been on. Tonight the Jazz had one of his old teammates trying to guard him in Beasley/Conley/Clarkson. It doesn’t matter who’s guarding Russell when he’s in attack mode and he was able to showcase his mid-range tonight a couple of times as he slithered through the Jazz defense. When Russell’s transition sets up his offense like it did tonight he’s special to watch and he’s unstoppable. Russell has been a beast when it comes down to 2nd half as he was able to finish the game with 30 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds. Anthony Edwards struggled tonight from the field but still made a great addition on the defensive end. Overall the Timberwolves were able to come back and get this win especially after blowing a 15-point lead.

 

It seems as though the Timberwolves like to fight back in games instead of hold leads but they’re still getting the job done. The Timberwolves play in a back-to-back as they will be heading to Portland tomorrow. The Wolves will be looking to get another win in the win column as they look to build off tonight’s win.

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

Dec 9, 2022 No Comments
Minnesota Timberwolves Get Thunderstruck Tonight By OKC (135-128)

Minnesota Timberwolves Get Thunderstruck Tonight By OKC (135-128)

Featured

by | Dec 4, 2022 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves came into this game against the Thunder fresh off a win against Memphis. It was going to be the 4th game without Karl-Anthony Towns. The Timberwolves had everything going for them tonight but ended up beating themselves. The Timberwolves established the inside game early as no one on the Thunder could slow down Rudy Gobert. The Thunder had no big man in the paint and it seemed as though Rudy was in store for a huge night. That was cut short as Rudy Gobert got into an altercation with Jeremiah Robinson-Earl where he tripped him and things got chippy. Rudy Gobert was hit with a flagrant 2 foul and was ejected from the game. After Rudy got ejected it looked as though the teams started playing at a high pace, especially in the transition game. As that transition game started going for OKC, so did Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as he could score when he wanted. On the night Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 33 points, 6 assists, and 1 rebound. It didn’t matter who was guarding Shai tonight he made things effortless.

 

Shai was able to put the Thunder on his back and he showed true leadership tonight. The Thunder had 7 players in double figures tonight against the Timberwolves and showed a lot of balance scoring. Josh Giddey had himself a nice stat line as well with 21 points, 7 assists, and 12 rebounds tonight. Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander together will lead the Thunder into the future and that future is very bright. Every time the Timberwolves made a run in this game it seemed as though something went wrong. The Timberwolves had way too many technical fouls tonight (Gobert – Ejected, Russell – Ejected, Edwards, and Anderson) which made it tough for them to stay in this close game. D’Angelo Russell & Anthony Edwards carried the Timberwolves in scoring as they combined for 53 points. Overall the Timberwolves got out hustled in this one and Shai was able to hit some big shots down the stretch.

Dec 4, 2022 No Comments
Anthony Edwards Powers Minnesota To The Victory Over Memphis (109-101)

Anthony Edwards Powers Minnesota To The Victory Over Memphis (109-101)

Featured

by | Nov 30, 2022 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves bounced back significantly after losing Karl-Anthony Towns to a calf strain. With Towns sidelined for about 4-6 weeks, it was time for his teammates to step up and they did just that tonight. Wendell Moore Jr got the surprise start tonight against the Grizzlies and his assignment was to guard Ja Morant. Moore Jr did a great job especially when it came to making it tough on Morant and getting back in transition. He might not have filled the stat sheet but he was able to make an impact from a game perspective. Morant and Brooks were ejected from the game as things got chippy, but before they exited the game, they finished with a combined 36 points, 9 assists, and 11 rebounds. Ja Morant was able to still get to the basket but he had to work for his 24 points tonight.

 

In the game, Morant had a crazy alley-oop dunk that got his team hyped and back into the game. Right after that Coach, Finch called the timeout and that’s when Anthony Edwards took over the game. The Grizzlies were hanging around all game long and when things tightened up that’s when Minnesota relies on Edwards. In the game, Anthony Edwards was using his defense to create offense as he was in the passing lanes and he was getting rebounds while starting the fast break. The Grizzlies had no answer for Edwards as he was giving any defender that wanted it buckets. During the game, Dillion Brooks got into a small altercation with Edwards that got him riled up and that woke up the inner beast. Edwards finished the game with 29 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds but was the focal point down the stretch. It’s to be noted that the Timberwolves got a huge contribution from Jaylen Nowell as he was able to drop 24 points off the bench.

 

It seemed like every time the Timberwolves needed a bucket they went to Nowell and he was able to deliver. The best thing about Nowell’s game is that he can come in cold but shoot like he’s hot. He’s been a true professional and showed tonight that no one is able to guard him one on one when he’s locked in. D’Angelo Russell was able to get his teammates involved as he was able to finish with 10 assists on the night. Russell’s one of the best passers in the game and when he can find his teammates in open or tight spaces it’s special and we witnessed that tonight. The Timberwolves got the OKC Thunder coming into town on Saturday and will look to make it two games in a row.

 

 

 

Photo Credit: (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

Nov 30, 2022 No Comments
Golden State Warriors Cruise Past The Minnesota Timberwolves (137-114)

Golden State Warriors Cruise Past The Minnesota Timberwolves (137-114)

Featured

by | Nov 27, 2022 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Golden State Warriors came out locked in during this contest. The Splash Family wasn’t playing any games as Steph, Klay, and Jordan were making things tough on Minnesota. The Warriors came out and scored 47 points in that 1st quarter which set the tone for the rest of the game as the Timberwolves were clawing to get back into the game all night. The ball movement for the Warriors was on full display as the Timberwolves were having trouble early with all the cuts and screens that come to play when facing Golden State. It was a special night for the Splash Family as Stephen Curry led the way with 25 points, 8 assists, and 11 rebounds. Curry was making some of those unbelievable shots and was able to get his team involved when he needed to. One of those teammates with that he was able to get involved was Klay Thompson.

 

Once the Timberwolves were trying to slow down Curry with multiple defenders that’s when Klay was able to get his jumper and some open looks. Thompson finished with 21 points, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds on the night. Klay made a huge effort on the defensive end as he was guarding Russell, Edwards, and Austin Rivers throughout the game. Coming off the bench Jordan Poole was able to add 24 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. Poole was able to make some shots that were really tough in transition but proved that he is capable. Draymond Green had a big game as he was the ball handler and his 11 assists show that he was finding his teammates. Green had 19 points but the majority of them were in transition and he even was hitting 3-pointers.

 

The Timberwolves found themselves down by 28 points and it was looking really rough early on. Anthony Edwards was the bright spot for the Timberwolves as he was able to beat a lot of the Warriors off the dribble. Edwards can create his own shot and was putting on a show in the second half with Klay/Wiggins on him. Tonight it was Edwards 26 points that kept them in this game but it was too much trying to catch up. The Timberwolves ran into a well-oiled machine in Golden State but this is a great lesson for Minnesota as they get to see how a championship team operates. Minnesota will be taking on the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Wednesday as they look to get back into the win column. Ja Morant will be a tough player to slow down but the Minnesota crowd will be ready to help especially since they still want revenge for the playoffs series.

Nov 27, 2022 No Comments
The Charlotte Hornets End Minnesota’s Five Game Winning Streak (110-108)

The Charlotte Hornets End Minnesota’s Five Game Winning Streak (110-108)

Featured

by | Nov 25, 2022 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves came into this game on a 5 game-winning streak. The Hornets were without some of their key players Hayward, Ball, and Martin. It was the Timberwolves that came out excelling at all phases of the game in this one as Anthony Edwards led the way. Early in the game, it seemed as though Edwards was on pace for a huge night as he started out with 12 points and was getting to the basket with ease. Edwards was also opening things up as the Hornets had no answer for him with McDaniels and Oubre trying to stop him. The Hornets did make the proper adjustments as the game went on as they were able to double-team Anthony Edwards and make it tough on the young star. Anthony Edwards finished the game with 25 points to lead the Timberwolves in scoring but it was a little too late when he got it going again in that second half. Towns/Gobert finished with a combined 36 points, 6 assists, and 21 rebounds for the game as the twin towers were dominant.

 

The only thing that really caused the Timberwolves to lose this game overall was the turnovers (16) as they were in costly moments of the game. Every time the Timberwolves turned the ball over it seemed like it started a fast break for the Hornets where they were able to get something with the Timberwolves backpedaling back on defense. The other reason why the Timberwolves dropped this one to the Hornets was the rushed shots and lack of makes from the 3-point line tonight. The Timberwolves shot 9/41 from 3-point land and they lived by the 3 and died by the 3 tonight. We would be talking about something totally different if the Timberwolves even hit half of those 3 pointers but that’s how the game works. Towns and McDaniels struggled on the perimeter tonight with their shots but this won’t happen on a daily as the Timberwolves will bounce back.

 

The Hornets made it tough on the Timberwolves when it came to hustling plays and making some great plays rebounding the ball in the late stretch of the game. It was because of the scoring ability of Kelly Oubre Jr. that the Hornets won this game. Oubre Jr made some tough shots that were well contested by McDaniels and Edwards that you just had to tip your hat to him. On the night Kelly Oubre Jr finished with 28 points, 2 assists, and 6 rebounds as he was the catalyst for the win and helped put a stop to the Timberwolves’ winning streak. James Bouknight and Jalen McDaniels had made some great plays on both the offensive and defensive end as well to keep them in the game. Terry Rozier wasn’t his usual self, especially with Russell guarding him but was able to get some huge buckets in that 2nd half. Kai Jones was another player that made it tough on the Timberwolves with his hustle, grit, and hops. Jones was all over the place and was dunking left and right on the defense. Minnesota has a date with the defending champs the Golden State Warriors on Sunday and will be looking to get back in the winning column ASAP at home.

 

 

 

 

 

(Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)

Nov 25, 2022 No Comments