Minnesota Timberwolves Battle Through Adversity To Beat The Pelicans (113-108)

Minnesota Timberwolves Battle Through Adversity To Beat The Pelicans (113-108)

Featured

by | Apr 9, 2023 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off a very impressive win against the San Antonio Spurs yesterday. Today they had to face the New Orleans Pelicans in a game that would determine a lot of the seeding going into the Play-In Tournament. Both Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns were questionable heading into this game but both suited up. This was going to be a huge matchup as Brandon Ingram has been hot and so has Karl Anthony Towns since coming back from his calf strain.

 

From the tipoff, this was a game that was going back and forth in the Target Center. Brandon Ingram was unstoppable and looked like the prime version of Dirk Nowitzki with his fadeaway jumper. The Timberwolves were throwing multiple defenders on Ingram but it wasn’t working. Jaden McDaniels was the primary defender on Brandon Ingram but he was limited when he got 2 quick fouls that put him on the bench. Brandon Ingram was the Pelican’s offense as the man had himself a 21-point quarter. It seemed as though nothing was going right defensively on Ingram but Anthony Edwards was up to the task for the remainder of the game. Once Brandon Ingram got some rest at the beginning of the 2nd quarter that’s when the Timberwolves were able to gain some momentum. Anthony Edwards started to get into the paint and was able to hit some tough shots with people all over him.

 

When Anthony makes those tough shots it gets his game going and he gets very active on the defensive end as well. Brandon Ingram came back in the game and started to get it going again but this time around Edwards was all over him leaving Jonas Valančiūnas with Rudy Gobert. The Pelicans were having Valančiūnas outside the paint so that it can limit the impact that Rudy Gobert had inside the paint. Anytime that Valančiūnas got the ball on the perimeter he was taking Rudy away from the basket and it was hurting the Timberwolves during a certain stretch. You can’t really blame Rudy as he was already banged up coming into this game. It was tough to see as during a timeout tempers were shown on the sideline as Rudy got into it with teammate Kyle Anderson. This moment can either make or break a team and this was a moment where Anthony Edwards/Karl-Anthony Towns took over and showed maturity.

 

 

The Timberwolves were already down at halftime after the altercation on the bench. Shortly after that Jaden McDaniels took his frustration out on what he thought was a tarp flap and it happened to be concrete as seen below. Jaden McDaniels was reported to have fractured his hand and will be out for some significant time. This all happened within the flow of the game that still needed to be won by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

 

 

In that 2nd half, the Timberwolves came out with some heart as they quickly put together a 5-0 run to start the 3rd. Once they got that quick run going it got the crowd back into the game. Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns were the ones to put the team on their backs. Karl-Anthony Towns was unreal in that 2nd half as he was able to hit back to back 3 pointers during a sequence where he had defenders all in his face. This was the KAT that myself and all the Timberwolves fans missed while he was hurt. Towns made it known in that 2nd half that he was back and if the Pelicans wanted to go small ball he was going to punish them.  The Pelicans faded away from Jonas Valančiūnas in the 2nd half as they wanted to play smaller. What Willie Green and the Pelicans didn’t know is that Towns was going to make them regret putting Herb Jones on him. Every position in the 3rd or 4th quarter was run through KAT and the Timberwolves had the mismatch. If they came to double KAT he found the open man and more than likely got it to Anthony Edwards.

 

 

Karl-Anthony Towns finished the game with 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists on the night with ease. Tonight he showed why he’s still one of the best big men in the NBA and that performance has led the Timberwolves to the 8th seed in the Play-In Tournament. Anthony Edwards had a sequence tonight where he was able to block CJ McCollum’s dunk attempt and came down the other end and scored a crazy basket. The job that Anthony Edwards did on Brandon Ingram in the 2nd half won’t get talked about much because of the adversity they sustained but it was special. Anthony Edwards finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists. He’s locked in at the right time and he’s growing into that two-way player. With McDaniels about to be out they need Edwards to take it to another level now. Tauren Prince came off the bench and gave them 18 points in 35 mins. If he can come in and give them an offensive boost in the play-in that would be clutch.

 

Brandon Ingram finished the game with 42 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists today but it wasn’t enough to beat the Timberwolves. With that being said the Timberwolves will be heading to LA to play the Lakers on Tuesday night as they start the Play-In Journey.

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)

Apr 9, 2023 No Comments
The Timberwolves Clinch Play-In Spot By Defeating The Spurs (151-131)

The Timberwolves Clinch Play-In Spot By Defeating The Spurs (151-131)

Featured

by | Apr 8, 2023 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming into this game needing to win out if they want to have a chance to grab the 7th seed in the West. To do that, they had to handle the task at hand in Austin, TX. The Spurs were without Keldon Johnson and Zach Collins whereas the Timberwolves needed to play their starters to secure a spot in the play-in tournament. This is the front end of a back-to-back for the Timberwolves so they needed to make light work of the Spurs ASAP.

 

At the beginning of this game, you can tell that the Spurs were playing an extremely competitive game as Tre Jones was everywhere. It goes to show you that many of these Spurs players were still playing for jump security heading into next season. Tre Jones showed that his job would be more than secured as he can be one of the key pieces to the Spurs puzzle moving forward. It seemed as though Jones was all over the place getting rebounds and finding his teammates with ease. Tre Jones could go right at the Timberwolves’ defense with ease as he finished the game with a triple-double. Tre Jones had 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists on the day. The Spurs had 6 players in double figures against the Timberwolves and managed to score 131 but the Timberwolves just had it going offensively today. The Timberwolves scored 151 points and had 7 players in double figures as they were led by Anthony Edwards who finished with 33 points. Anthony Edwards as he came out the gates setting the tone in this game scoring with ease. The Spurs had no answer for Edwards as he was able to score over and around the Spurs’ defenders. When Edwards plays like this the Timberwolves are unstoppable and today it showed what the team can actually be when things are clicking.

 

 

Karl-Anthony Towns looked really good out there as well with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. It’s good to see KAT getting back in the swing of things on the offensive and defensive sides. When KAT plays on both ends like he did today anything is possible. I truly believe if KAT didn’t get hurt this team would be locked into a seeded instead of the play-in tournament but things happen and you have to overcome. Rudy Gobert has been a rebounding machine and he did just that against the Spurs today as they had no big man in the paint that could stop him. Rudy had 13 rebounds and when he commands the paint like he did today this team is tough to beat as the Spurs found out. Rudy was the defensive anchor in the paint with 4 blocks today as well to add to his boards. The mix of KAT and Rudy has been special every time they grace the floor together. Jaden McDaniels took over that 3rd quarter and was able to drop 12 points in the quarter alone. We already know he is an All-Defense caliber player but when he scores the ball like he has since the All-Star breaks it makes it tough on anyone and the Spurs found that out today. This Timberwolves team is clicking at the right time and will have a game with the Pelicans tomorrow to determine their fate in the NBA play-in tournament. Below are the seeding opportunities for the Timberwolves heading into tomorrow’s game.

 

The Minnesota Timberwolves would finish (7th seed if they beat the Pelicans, Lakers lose to the Jazz) (8th seed if they beat the Pelicans, but Lakers beat the Jazz) (9th seed if they lose to Pelicans)

 

 

 

Photo Credit: (Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)

 

Apr 8, 2023 No Comments
Minnesota Timberwolves Take Care Of Business In BK Beating The Nets (107-102)

Minnesota Timberwolves Take Care Of Business In BK Beating The Nets (107-102)

Featured

by | Apr 5, 2023 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves found their selves in a dogfight on Tuesday night in Brooklyn. It’s coming down to the last games that matter in Minnesota needs to make the best of every opportunity in front of them. With their backs against the wall, Anthony Edwards showed up in a major way to help secure the win tonight.

This was by far one of the most complete games that I’ve seen from the Minnesota Timberwolves from an offensive and defensive output. Anthony Edwards took over in the second half making it very easy for the Tim Wolves down the stretch as he had a tough shot after tough shot. One of the things that impress me the most was his willingness to defend him to score at will and he made it tough on bridges and Johnson all night. Anthony Edwards finished the game of 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. When Anthony Edwards takes it upon himself to be the best player on the floor it’s tough to beat this Timberwolves team. Anthony Edwards prides himself  on being a two-way player and it showed on Tuesday night when he made one of the biggest defensive stops of the season against the Nets with the game on the line.

The Timberwolves made adjustments with the transition defense, and were able to get back quicker tonight as they turned defense into offense. Both Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 34 points and 26 rebounds on the night making it tough on Nic Claxton. Both Rudy and KAT were able to establish their dominance in the paint tonight as they made it tough on all the Nets especially with their passing out of doubles. Jaden McDaniels had one of his best games of the season as well as he shining at the right time during the season when the Timberwolves need them the most. Jaden was all over the place with steals, blocks, and making timely baskets. The Timberwolves will go deep in the playoffs if they get this consistent Jaden on a nightly basis. Jaden has been special to watch since All Star Break and they will need every ounce of his greatness that he’s shown moving forward. McDaniels made it tough on Mikal Bridges tonight and made him work for every point he scored.

bridges finished with 24 points on the night but it was Spencer Dinwiddie who was hitting everything he put up even with a hand in his face. Dinwiddie finished with 30 points and 6 assists as that wasn’t enough to help the Nets get the win.

 

The Timberwolves are off until Saturday’s game against the Spurs as they’re playing for postseason placement late in this season.

 

 

 

Photo Credit: (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Apr 5, 2023 No Comments
The Portland Trail Blazers Defeated Minnesota (107-105) As Sharpe Led The Way With 27 Points

The Portland Trail Blazers Defeated Minnesota (107-105) As Sharpe Led The Way With 27 Points

Featured

by | Apr 3, 2023 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The Timberwolves came into this game and needed a win badly after dropping one to the Lakers. The Portland Trail Blazers have shut down their starters for the remainder of the season. So with them not playing their starters and the Timberwolves having their starters, it looked like the Wolves had this in the bag with a 19-point spread.

 

Well, the spread was wrong in this one as the Timberwolves had difficulty containing Shaedon Sharpe in this game. Today Sharpe looked sharp on the court and could do no wrong as he made the Timberwolves pay in the paint. Shapre showed a lot of ball-handling skills and showed that he could make some big shots while driving to the basket. The game started neck and neck but the Timberwolves just couldn’t slow down the Portland offense as they were able to make some tough shots. Sharpe led the way for them with 27 points and kept the Trail Blazers in this game all day long with his aggression to the paint and big-shot ability. Sharpe was a handful for the Timberwolves but in that 2nd half, it was Kevin Knox who was making some plays that took this win away from the Timberwolves. Knox hit some shots and was able to attack the basket to either create or make a play for himself. Knox finished the game with 19 points off the bench and made the most of the minutes that Coach Billups gave him. Portland was able to beat the Timberwolves because of the control in the turnovers, points in the paint, and bench points. The Portland Trail Blazers came into this game with nothing to lose and only something to gain as they made some clutch free throws down the stretch to take this one from the Timberwolves at home.

 

 

The Timberwolves ended up beating themselves in this game as they had too many turnovers and they had players in foul trouble. Karl-Anthony Towns wasn’t able to stay on the court with his foul trouble and that hurts when you don’t have a Naz Reid that you can put in to help with the offense. It was good to see Anthony Edwards get back on track after not feeling well he was able to finish the game with 37 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Edwards was special today as he’s always been but he was able to turn it on in that 2nd half when the Trail Blazers already were feeling good and confident. The Timberwolves will look back at this game and realize they had it won if they didn’t turn the basketball over. So you can definitely say they can use this as a mural victory but they need some real victories down the stretch now. Rudy Gobert was dominant in the paint on the offensive end but didn’t get much help today on the defensive end when Portland had him in switches. This Timberwolves team has been playing to their competition all year long and I believe they got caught in the trap again. We know they can beat any team and they can get the jump done so they will need to lock in for the last 3 games. Minnesota can be special they just need to lock in on the defensive end first because the defense helps create the offense and once they get that back anything can happen.

 

The Timberwolves have the Nets, Spurs, and Pelicans left in the season and they’re all must-win games if they want to make the play-in or playoffs.

 

 

 

 

 

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

Apr 3, 2023 No Comments
The Timberwolves Fall Short In Phoenix (107-100) Snapping Their 4 Game Win Streak

The Timberwolves Fall Short In Phoenix (107-100) Snapping Their 4 Game Win Streak

Featured

by | Mar 30, 2023 | Featured, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA

The hype and the anticipation for this game grew as sources said that Kevin Durant would return to the lineup tonight. Well, Kevin Durant did just that and gave this Phoenix Suns team a boost before the game even started. On the Timberwolves’ side, they were coming into this game on a 4 game winning streak but also had many players not feeling well. The Wolves players Anthony Edwards and Kyle Anderson toughed it out and were available for tonight’s game.

 

Let’s put this in the clear now that Jaden McDaniels didn’t have his best offensive game tonight. That being said he did an amazing job defending Kevin Durant in that first half. We all know that Durant is one of the best if not the best scorers in the NBA and McDaniels made it tough on him. KD didn’t score his first points of the game until 6:32 left in the 2nd quarter and a lot of it could have been done with his rust from not being on the court for a couple of weeks now. Kevin Durant settled in and when he got it going in that 2/3rd quarter stretch all you can do is tip your cap. Durant was making some tough shots and was able to get some nice And-1 plays in the paint. In just his first game back he finished with 16 points but this Suns team is going to be scary when he’s up to speed. This was a great taste for the Timberwolves who haven’t lost in a week as they prepare for this playoff push. Devin Booker was the key to this Suns win and he was a true problem for the Timberwolves all night long. Booker was aggressive and was able to get to his spots when he had mismatches with ease. Booker was able to get to the free throw line 15 times tonight making 12 of them. Devin Booker is able to create his shot and knows how to create space to get the look he wants at an elite level. Devin Booker finished the game with 29 points and 5 assists as the Timberwolves had no answer down the stretch with the momentum already shifted on some 50/50 plays while the Suns fans were going wild. Chris Paul showcased in that 4th quarter exactly what it means to be a floor general as he was able to connect with DeAndre Ayton for some impressive alley-oop passes and made some timely shots. The Timberwolves did a great job of limiting the Suns in the half-court but got beat in transition something that will improve with time. Phoenix made every right play it seemed in that 2nd half and it will be tough to beat a team like them with 10+ turnovers in a game.

 

 

The Timberwolves had this game right where they wanted but just didn’t make the plays to take it from them in the 4th. The Timberwolves had a lot of chances in the 4th to make some big shots and every one of the shots when they needed it didn’t go down. Sometimes the ball goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t. Tonight the shots didn’t fall for the Timberwolves in the 4th but there were still a lot of bright spots in this game. Jaden McDaniels was in foul trouble but when he was on the floor he made a huge impact on the defensive end and offensive end. Anthony Edwards still had a game-high 31 points as he was playing borderline sick and he showed tonight that he can hang with the best of them shot for shot. Karl-Anthony Towns was amazing in only his 3rd game back he’s been looking like he hasn’t missed a single stop and his shot-making ability has been on full display. Rudy Gobert has been a complete monster on the boards and has been able to really anchor this defense, especially tonight in the paint against the Suns. So this is one of those games where the Timberwolves fans can hold their heads high and be proud of the team even though they didn’t win. The second unit continues to grow and Naz Reid has bloomed into one of the smoothest offensive players I’ve witnessed so they lost tonight but they only dropped to 7th in the west.

 

The Timberwolves have a matchup against the Lakers as D’Angelo Russell will be back in Minnesota for the 1st time since the trade in February. Both teams are fighting for playoff positioning so this should be a high-scoring game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit:  (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

 

Mar 30, 2023 No Comments