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)
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