The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off a tough loss to the 76ers and Joel Embiid. Tonight they would be going up against a well rested Brooklyn Nets squad as they played their starter’s limited minutes the game before. Since the trade to Brooklyn Mikal Bridges has been playing lights out, the Timberwolves would need to slow him down to win. On the Timberwolves’ side, they’re still without Karl Anthony-Towns as he’s been getting in some light work but still has no timetable. The Timberwolves haven’t been at full strength most of the season and it’s starting to show they miss KAT in more ways than many.
This was one of those games in which you knew whoever out-scrapped the other team would come out on top. The Nets are a team made up of players that know their role and perfect it at a high level. The problem is that Mikal Bridges and Spencer Dinwiddie are playing outside that and it’s been trouble for opposing teams. The Nets came out swinging in this game as Mikal Bridges has been showing that he can get his shot and to his spots anytime he wants to. It didn’t matter who was guarding him tonight he made some tough contested shots that you have to live with if you’re Minnesota. Mikal Bridges was on one tonight and was able to get his defense to jump-start his offense as well. On the night Mikal finished with 34 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist. Since joining the Nets he has been on fire and he added another 30-point performance to his short resume with his new team. It was his counterpart Spencer Dinwiddie who was making some tough buckets on the night and was able to get the mismatch he wanted and made Minnesota pay. When Spencer plays with that type of swag and confidence it will be hard for any team to get him off his game. Spencer finished with 29 points, 3 rebounds, and 11 assists. Both Bridges & Dinwiddie have shown a lot of leadership/maturity in their games this year.
Another player that has taken that next leap is Nic Claxton he was in a battle in the paint with Rudy Gobert but he was able to hold his own in key moments. This Nets team is filled with players that have something to prove and tonight they did just that in Minnesota. It was a back-and-forth game until that 3rd where the Nets just couldn’t miss it seemed. The Nets got some big shots from Finney-Smith and Curry that helped as they were able to sneak this win away from the Timberwolves. The Nets made a bad defensive read at the end of the 4th quarter as the buzzer was sounding as they left Naz Reid open to tie the game. The good decision was the fact they made some defensive stops when needed in overtime to seal the deal.
The Minnesota Timberwolves started this game out as best as you could. Rudy Gobert was punking everyone in the paint and was not to be denied at all. Rudy was a man among boys in the paint and he was able to do whatever he wanted against the Nets bigs. Rudy was able to back people down and dunk it with ease. Rudy was special on the defensive end and made it tough on the Net’s offensive players all night when needed. Rudy Gobert missed some crucial free throws down the stretch but still had one of his better games with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists. When Rudy plays like this it’s tough to beat the Timberwolves and it seemed as though the Timberwolves made a lot of mistakes to beat themselves. Anthony Edwards came out aggressive in this one but cooled down in the second half if this Timberwolves team is going anywhere they need All-Star Ant at all times. Edwards finished with 32 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists but he wasn’t able to lock down Bridges like he’s done to many opposing team’s best players.
One thing about Edwards he’s going to bounce back and he has shown a lot of promise on the defensive end this season. Tonight was one of those rare occasions where Edwards just couldn’t control some of those tough shots that were going in. Look for Edwards to bounce back in a major way as the Timberwolves now have the Atlanta Hawks waiting on them in ATL. That’s where Anthony Edwards is from so I expect a huge game in front of family and friends with a Lil Baby receiving Ant’s jersey. Mike Conley Jr and Nickeil Alexander-Walker have been contributing to this team in a major way and tonight it showed as they both were able to see some shots go down. Overall the Timberwolves are heading in the wrong direction and need to just stick to playing their style of basketball. The NBA has 82 games for a reason so look for the Timberwolves to turn this mini-slump around and get ready for the playoff run.
Photo Credit: (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
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