Julius Randle & The Timberwolves Stun Phoenix With The Buzzer Beater (120-117)

Julius Randle & The Timberwolves Stun Phoenix With The Buzzer Beater (120-117)

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by | Nov 17, 2024 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

Following a decisive victory over the Sacramento Kings, the Minnesota Timberwolves faced the Phoenix Suns, who were without key players Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant. Despite these absences, Devin Booker led the Suns to a strong performance. The Timberwolves continue to develop their defensive strategies, a process expected to unfold over time.

 

The Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker delivered a stellar performance, scoring 44 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists, showcasing his offensive prowess against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Booker’s exceptional shooting, even under heavy defensive pressure, was a key factor in the Suns’ strong showing. However, his efforts were ultimately overshadowed by the Timberwolves’ offensive firepower. Tyus Jones’ return to his hometown provided a significant boost to the Suns’ offensive rhythm, contributing 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 11 assists, facilitating Booker’s scoring opportunities. Despite the Suns maintaining a lead until the final seconds of regulation, they were unable to secure the win.

 

The Timberwolves’ victory was largely attributed to Julius Randle’s dominant performance. Randle’s aggressive play at the rim and ability to draw fouls proved highly effective, resulting in a team-high 35 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists. His game-winning buzzer-beater three-pointer, over Josh Okogie, secured the win for the Timberwolves and electrified the Target Center crowd. Anthony Edwards, though less effective than Randle (24 points), celebrated enthusiastically with Randle following the winning shot. Donte DiVincenzo’s 15 points also proved crucial in keeping the Timberwolves within striking distance during periods when the Suns threatened to pull away.

 

While the Timberwolves’ offensive prowess was undeniable, demonstrated by the high scoring outputs of both Randle and Edwards, their defensive consistency remains a concern. Conceding 44 points to Booker and 60 to Fox in recent games highlights a defensive vulnerability. The upcoming break provides an opportunity for the Timberwolves to address this weakness, focusing on improved defensive strategies and consistency before their playoff push.

 

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ postseason success hinges on a balanced approach, effectively integrating their potent offensive capabilities with a demonstrably improved defensive performance. Under the guidance of Coach Chris Finch, the team possesses the potential to contend for a top Western Conference ranking by season’s end. His coaching expertise is expected to facilitate a smoother transition toward their goal of winning an NBA Championship.

 

 

 

Nov 17, 2024 No Comments
Minnesota Timberwolves Lose Nail-Biter To The Miami Heat At Home (95-94)

Minnesota Timberwolves Lose Nail-Biter To The Miami Heat At Home (95-94)

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by | Nov 10, 2024 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The headline coming into tonight’s game was that Jimmy Butler would not be playing due to a sprained ankle. So, all the sports books and analysts had the Timberwolves as 7-point favorites against the Miami Heat. We all know that Coach Spo is one of the best in the business and he was going to have his team still playing at a high level. In Jimmy Butler’s absence, we expected to see a lot of Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo tonight with minutes/field goal attempts.

 

The Minnesota Timberwolves were in a battle from the start in this game and it seemed as though Miami had the answer for every punch that Minnesota threw at them. The Heat presented a different challenge with their zone schemes and it made things a little tougher on the Wolves end when it came to execution the way that they’re accustomed to nightly. Anthony Edwards who has been on a heater as of late wasn’t able to get his offense going the way he wanted tonight. The Miami Heat came out shooting pretty much 50% from the field and were clicking on all cylinders but when Rudy Gobert was in the game he prevented a lot of that. Miami seemed to only attack the paint when Rudy wasn’t in the game or if he was caught on a switch getting him near the 3-point line. Tyler Herro was able to carry the Heat in scoring tonight but was making a lot of tough shots with defenders in his face. Herro was able to get to his spots as he was able to finish with 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Herro took a lot of shots tonight but was able to make the most of the opportunities on switches. Nikola Jović played very well off the bench and was able to slip through the defensive cracks on the last play that sealed the deal for Miami to win. Jović finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 assist on the night. His play off the bench would prove to be the huge deciding factor in the Heat winning this game late. The Timberwolves did a lot of switching on that last play and Jović was open just enough to get fouled to give Miami the lead for the win.

 

The Minnesota Timberwolves only had 4 players in double figures tonight which is rare for them. The Wolves always seem to find a way to win the game and also get their scorers in a better position to be successful. Tonight they weren’t able to get the job done but every championship-caliber team like Minnesota needs a wake-up call every now and then. The Wolves got beat in transition tonight as Miami had 26 fastbreak points to Minnesota’s 4 for the night. The Heat were beating them down the court throughout the game and it’s tough to set up a defense if a team is going that fast. Anthony Edwards finished the game with 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists but needed a little bit more offensively to propel Minnesota to a win.

 

People will start to panic over this loss but this is going to be a growing point for this team as they’re still trying to figure things out on the fly. Multiple players have stated that they’re trying to get their rhythm down with the minutes rotation and this is going to take time. Naz Reid was the other bright spot in this game as he was able to make an impact off the bench with 15 points. Rudy Gobert was able to grab 13 boards and he made his presence known in the paint defensively as he also recorded 2 blocks. The Heat were running all night long and they got some easy baskets this will be a tough learning moment for the Timberwolves as they look to bounce back on the road against Portland.

 

 

Nov 10, 2024 No Comments
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