Anthony Edwards 37 Point Performance Propels Minnesota To The Win Over Portland (127-102)

Anthony Edwards 37 Point Performance Propels Minnesota To The Win Over Portland (127-102)

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by | Nov 9, 2024 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been clicking on all cylinders lately, and the next opponent to try to slow them down was the Portland TrailBlazers. Last night, the Timberwolves took care of the Bulls, and they used that momentum with the home crowd to try and do the same against Portland. The Timberwolves’ defense came out staggering, as the TrailBlazers weren’t able to get any flow on the offensive end. Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert came out swarming on defense, making it tough on Portland. The Wolves were able to showcase the ball movement and that was one of the huge factors in their big 28-point lead in this game. Anthony Edwards was locked in from the start and it carried to the finish as he was able to hit 9 (3-pointers) tonight against the Trail Blazers. It didn’t matter who was guarding Edwards when he’s locked in like he was tonight because that stepback jumper is new and improved with purpose. Anthony Edwards has become one of the best two-way players in the NBA and he continues to grow nightly.

 

Well, tonight Portland found out the hard way as Edwards was locking up any Portland player that he had on the matchup with ease. Anthony Edwards has been on a shooting spree as of late where he can’t miss and that continued tonight as he has been able to establish himself as one of the best in the league. Anthony Edwards finished with 37 points but he was able to get others involved as well. Julius Randle has been learning his way in this offense and it always helps to go against a team that hasn’t proven themselves yet like the TrailBlazers. Randle has been able to create his offense and he has been showcasing a lot of playmaking ability throughout these first games with Minnesota. When Randle gets into bully ball mode it’s special to see as the Trail Blazers didn’t have an answer for him down low. Rudy Gobert was able to get back in track as he was able to get 15 rebounds in the paint. Gobert’s offensive output has been hit or miss but his dominance on the defensive end especially on the boards tonight was on full display as he finished with 15 rebounds.

 

The Timberwolves got a huge jolt in offense tonight between Naz Reid & Donte Divincenzo as both combined for 29 points and shot 10/23 from the field. This was one of those trap games, especially after the win against the Bulls but Minnesota was able to answer the call. The Timberwolves hit 22 (3 Pointers) tonight with 9 of them coming from Ant-Man but when this team locks in on both sides like they have been doing anything is possible, The TrailBlazers have some young talented pieces over there with Simons, Henderson, and Camara. Tonight was one of those nights where anything that could go wrong was going wrong for Portland as they kept running into the situation of getting down close like to 9 and then Anthony Edwards would hit a huge shot to get the crowd back into the game.

 

The Timberwolves play against the Miami Heat next as the Wolves will be watching closely as they monitor the status of Jimmy Butler.

 

 

 

Nov 9, 2024 No Comments
The Minnesota Timberwolves Make An Early Statement With Win Over Nuggets (119-116)

The Minnesota Timberwolves Make An Early Statement With Win Over Nuggets (119-116)

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by | Nov 2, 2024 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off a tough loss to the Dallas Mavericks the other night and were looking to rebound against Denver tonight. The Wolves started this game off on fire, as it seemed as though the ball was moving easily tonight. Minnesota jumped on the Nuggets early as Anthony Edwards was able to get himself going, which got his teammates involved as well. Rudy Gobert was able to set the tone tonight for the Timberwolves on both ends and he had the assignment of guarding Nikola Jokic. One thing about Jokic is that he can get to his spots without any issues and you have to give some credit to Rudy as he was able to make Jokic force up a couple of uncharacteristic shots tonight. The Minnesota Timberwolves had a well-balanced attack tonight in this game as they had 5 scorers in double figures tonight. The main area that the Timberwolves have struggled in so far this season has been the rebounding department and it happened again tonight as the Nuggets outrebounded them (46-38). The Nuggets were able to capitalize off some of the boards as Michael Porter Jr and Aaron Gordon made the Timberwolves pay all night. It’s crazy because a lot of the shots that Gordon made tonight were contested as he finished with a game-high 31 points. He was giving the Timberwolves trouble all night as he hit jumper after jumper.

 

The Nuggets game plan had to be shifted when Jamal Murray exited the game due to concussion protocol. Once Murray was ruled out you can see Nikola Jokic taking on the bigger role and the challenge against the Timberwolves. Rudy did a great job of guarding Jokic when it came to his scoring but Jokic was able to still impact the game as he finished with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 13 assists. Jokic showed that he can trust his teammates in these big games and he was able to instill that confidence in them in this game throughout the 48 minutes. The Timberwolves had their lead dwindle but they showed a lot of fight and grit in the 2nd half when the Nuggets went on their 25-3 run. Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle are going to bring this team as far as they can this season and against the Nuggets tonight both combined for 52 out of the 119. This team showed some defensive promise down the stretch with the DPOY Rudy Gobert making some huge plays down the stretch guarding Jokic. Rudy Gobert finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 assists tonight for Minnesota. The Minnesota Timberwolves had a late flurry from Anthony Edwards that included a 3-pointer followed by a floater in the paint that got them the win.

 

 

 

 

Up next the Minnesota Timberwolves will be going to San Antonio to face the Spurs on a back-to-back as they look to come back to Minnesota (4-2) on the young season. 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Nov 2, 2024 No Comments
The Minnesota Timberwolves Take Care Of Toronto In The Home Opener (112-101)

The Minnesota Timberwolves Take Care Of Toronto In The Home Opener (112-101)

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by | Oct 26, 2024 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves are fresh off their first win of the season in Sacramento the other night. One thing that was established in that game was the presence of the dynamic duo of Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle. Both Edwards/Randle played well off each other and they would try to continue that in front of the hometown Minnesota faithful against the Raptors. The Raptors coming to town before the rematch of the Western Conference Finals looks like a trap game on paper but the Timberwolves were up to the challenge.

 

The Timberwolves came out clicking on all cylinders as it was Donte Divincenzo who was able to set the tone early in this game hitting a couple of 3-pointers that gave the Wolves some space with the early lead. The Raptors took every punch that the Timberwolves hit them with as they got down by 22 points in this one before they knew it. One bright spot for the Raptors tonight was Gradey Dick as he was able to showcase some impressive shot-making ability against a tough Timberwolves defense. It seemed like every time the Raptors made a push to cut into the Wolves lead it was Gradey Dick that made plays for Toronto. You can tell he’s taking that next step in his career and having Scottie Barnes alongside him the future can be bright when the Raptors get healthy. Tonight Gradey was able to finish the game with 25 points on 9/16 from the field as he was able to help the Raptors get the lead under 10 points in the 4th. The Timberwolves’ mistakes late in the 4th would allow Toronto to make this game a lot more interesting than it needed to be honestly. Scottie Barnes finished with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists but made a huge impact on the game on both ends. The Raptors kept trying to get the lead under the 8 point but the Minnesota Timberwolves continued to make shot after shot when it was needed.

 

Julius Randle was very aggressive in this game as he finished with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. Randle made a huge impression on the Minnesota fans tonight as he was able to showcase the bully ball that has gotten him high praise in the NBA. Tonight Randle and Edwards both finished with 24 points as they led the Timberwolves to the win. Anthony Edwards got his game going in the 2nd & 3rd quarters as he was looking in mid-season form with the jumper working and he was able to go downhill on the Raptors defense. The Raptors had Barnes/Battle playing defense on Anthony Edwards but he was able to still have his way as it seems as though Ant-Man is primed for a true run at the MVP. The Wolves finished the game with 6 players in double figures and if they will make that run back to the WCF at least it’s going to take a full effort for all 82 games. One thing that we saw tonight was Donte getting his playing time to showcase his play-making ability with his scoring. The Wolves finished the game shooting 47% from the field and will need to continue this if they want to take care of business against the Mavs on Tuesday.

 

Oct 26, 2024 No Comments
The Minnesota Lynx Defeat New York Liberty (82-80) To Force Game 5 Sunday

The Minnesota Lynx Defeat New York Liberty (82-80) To Force Game 5 Sunday

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by | Oct 19, 2024 | Featured, Minnesota Lynx, WNBA

The Minnesota Lynx were caught off guard by Sabrina Ionescu’s game-winning 3-pointer in Game 3 to give the Liberty the series lead. One thing that we’ve learned about this Minnesota Lynx team is that they’re battle-tested and they believe in each other no matter the situation. Some of that comes from Coach Cheryl Reeve but a lot of that swagger comes from Courtney Williams as well. They were going to need that DAWG in Game 4 if the Lynx wanted to prevent the New York Liberty from celebrating on their court tonight as the WNBA Champions.

 

This game was a true slugfest as both teams came out trying to make the first run but it was extremely tight. The Minnesota Lynx Big 3 of Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams, and Kayla McBride led the way with a combined 48 points of the 82 points from the team tonight. Napheesa didn’t have one of her scoring nights that she usually does but she impacted the game on the defensive end in a big way. Napheesa is one of the best in the game because when she would get doubled she’s so unsuccessful that she knows when to find her teammates. The Liberty were trying to make sure that Napheesa wasn’t going to beat them tonight but they slept on Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams. Napheesa draws a lot of attention and that helped the team out tonight against New York.

 

Both McBride and Williams were able to hit some big shots throughout the game as the Liberty gave them too much space. Kayla McBride is one of the best shooters in the game and once she sees one of her jumpers go in the basket it’s a long night for the opposing team. Tonight Kayla McBride was the leading scorer on Minnesota with 19 points and she set the tone on both ends as well. A lot of people gave Sabrina Ionescu high praise last game for her big shot making but like Kayla said “She guarded her for 40 minutes”. Kayla held Sabrina to a quiet 10 points as she wasn’t able to get her game going because that defense had her out of rhythm. Minnesota was able to execute whatever the gameplan was tonight for Coach Reeve but they will have to limit Jonquel Jones & Breanna Stewart inside the paint because they missed a lot of easy baskets tonight. Courtney Williams has been a great addition to the Lynx and it was on full display in Game 4 as she was able to get her team involved passing-wise and was able to put them on her back with the smooth mid-range shot.

 

Jonquel finished with 21 points with 8 rebounds as the Lynx don’t have much of a matchup for her in this series but the Lynx have been creating a lot of jumpball situations. The Lynx might be undersized but they have a huge heart and it showed tonight as they battled in front of the home crowd. The other bright spot for New York was the play of Fiebich as she finished with 19 points but was able to make tough shot after shot when Minnesota looked to be pulling away. She’s a rookie but the way she hits big shots looks like she’s been in the league for like 10 years. The Minnesota Lynx were able to pull this game out with Ionescu/Stewart going 10/36 from the field but we know that this won’t be a repeat in New York. The Lynx will need to keep making it tough on the Liberty with deflections and making sure they get out in transition. Both teams know each other’s game well now and it’s going to come down to who wants it more on Sunday.

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Abbie Parr

Oct 19, 2024 No Comments
The Minnesota Lynx Are WNBA Finals Bound After Defeating Connecticut (88-77)

The Minnesota Lynx Are WNBA Finals Bound After Defeating Connecticut (88-77)

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by | Oct 9, 2024 | Featured, Minnesota Lynx, WNBA

The Minnesota Lynx came into this Game 5 after a tough loss in Connecticut knowing they were coming home to the best fans in the WNBA. The Lynx knew that if they wanted to go to the WNBA Finals it was going to take a great effort on both ends of the floor. Tonight in Game 5 they came out and set the tone from the jumpball. It just so happened to be the Kayla McBride Towel Night and McBride came out on fire as she was putting pressure on the Sun defenders. The Sun were able to slow down Napheesa Collier in the 1st quarter but with the DPOY drawing so much attention it opened things up for Kayla to get her offense going right away. Kayla McBride was hitting the 3-point shot and she was able to attack off the dribble. Kayla was able to finish the game with 19 points and her points in the 1st quarter started the scoring party. Her offense was contagious because it wasn’t too long before Napheesa Collier and Courtney Williams got it going.

 

Courtney Williams’s dad told the media pregame that she would have a big night and he didn’t lie at all. Courtney Williams was able to get the midrange jumper going early and was able to get by any defender that the Sun threw at her. When Courtney has both the playmaking and her offensive game going there’s nothing that the defense can do and the Sun realized that real quick. Courtney has been a blessing in disguise for the Lynx because her bag is extremely heavy with a lot of things that she brings to the game. Courtney was able to get her teammates involved with some amazing passes and her peskiness on the defensive end was making things tough for Burton/Carrington. Courtney Williams was able to finish the game with 24 points and 7 assists tonight. This was one of her best games in a Lynx uniform and it came right on time.

 

One of the teammates who was able to feast off of the Williams setups was Naphessa Collier. This SUPERSTAR doesn’t get enough credit for the things that she does on the court. It doesn’t matter if it’s the offensive side or the defensive end Collier is coming through for her teammates. Napheesa impacted tonight’s game in many ways with blocks, rebounds, and even steals. Napheesa has been able to use her defense to start the offense for the Lynx with her amazing awareness of deflections. Tonight against the Sun she was able to demand a lot of attention that creates opportunity for the rest of the team. Napheesa finished the game with 27 points and 11 rebounds it didn’t matter who was on her tonight she was willing the Lynx to the Finals. Napheesa has some of the best footwork in the WNBA and she had multiple defenders on the Sun looking silly at the rim. The Lynx were able to force the Sun into 18 turnovers tonight and that was started by Napheesa Collier’s blocks and disruptiveness in the passing lanes. The Lynx held the Sun to 38% from the field and that was a huge reason why the Minnesota Lynx are heading to the Finals. The Minnesota Lynx’s biggest lead was 24 points and they continued to put their foot on the gas throughout the game whenever the Sun tried to make a run.

 

The Connecticut Sun got punched in the mouth so fast from the Minnesota Lynx that it was tough to recover. The whole game the Sun were fighting to get back into the game and it was tough because McBride, Williams, and Collier were already scoring at will. The Sun did lose Marina Mabrey in the 1st half to an injury so taking away one of their best shooters in the close-out game was going to be a tall task. Dijonai Carrington was one of the bright spots for the Sun tonight against Minnesota as she was to get into those passing lanes and create her offense in transition. Carrington came out in the 2nd half and put the Sun on her back with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 steals. The Sun were just too far behind to get back into this game but it was a slugfest as both teams battled it out to Game 5. One of the mismatches that the Sun had on the Lynx was Brionna Jones in the paint she finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Jones was tough to guard but with the Lynx spacing, it made it tough for her to be effective the whole game on the defensive end. The Sun had a hell of a season and yeah it had to end tonight but they will come back better. Tonight was all about the Lynx and they will be going on to play the New York Liberty in the rematch of the Commissioners Cup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Matt Krohn / Imagn Images

Oct 9, 2024 No Comments