Don’t look now but the Minnesota Timberwolves are on a 3 game-winning streak. They’re now 2-0 with Karl-Anthony Towns back in the lineup after the big-time win in Golden State tonight. Coming into this game a lot of people didn’t give the Timberwolves a chance but they showed that they could play to a high level. This has been the healthiest the Timberwolves have been in a long time and it’s the perfect time with the postseason around the corner.
The Timberwolves came out aggressive in this game as Mike Conley set the tone for them early with 4 big 3-pointers. Those shots were huge because they got them into a nice offensive groove and they were able to get set on defense a lot better after made shots. The Timberwolves were able to get Stephen Curry in foul trouble early in this one as he had 2 quick ones in the 1st quarter. Once the Timberwolves were able to get Steph in foul trouble they attacked and were able to get the Warriors into some mismatches. Just like Steph getting into foul trouble tonight wasn’t the night for Jaden McDaniels as he was in foul trouble the whole night too. With McDaniels in foul trouble that gave Kyle Anderson some more opportunities and he made the best of them tonight. This was easily one of the best defensive games we’ve seen from Kyle as he was able to have his hands in the passing lanes all night long. Kyle is known for his playmaking ability but he was able to showcase some defensive intensity in this game as well. Throughout the game, Kyle had some big steals, and his 3 steals in the 4th quarter helped the Timberwolves beat the Warriors tonight. Rudy Gobert was a man among boys in the paint tonight as he was able to bring down 18 rebounds and finished with 10 points. This is what the Wolves fans have been missing because now Rudy can worry about defending the paint and grabbing boards while KAT gets the chance to help defensively while scoring.
Speaking of Karl-Anthony Towns he made a couple of big 3-pointers in this game when the Timberwolves needed it and none bigger than the one he hit after Anderson’s steal in transition. It’s safe to say that KAT is made for these moments and he embraces being the man when the lights are at their brightest. It was Anthony Edwards first game coming back after his ankle injury and you can tell his game was off a little as he wasn’t as aggressive as he usually was tonight. Even with Edwards and McDaniels having off nights the Wolves still got the win and Naz Reid had a lot to do with that. It seemed as though Naz Reid can do no wrong as he was able to hit some big 3 pointers and he was able to cause havoc in the paint the Warriors had no answer for him with Rudy or KAT on the court as well. Naz finished with 23 points in only 20 minutes tonight. Karl-Anthony said it last game that the Wolves need to find a way to keep Naz in the rotation and it looks as though they have found that way. The Team is playing with a lot of confidence and they will be playing the Sacramento Kings tomorrow coming off a back-to-back.
The only person that really had it going for the Warriors tonight was Jordan Poole as he finished with 27 points tonight. The Timberwolves’ perimeter defense was all over the Warriors tonight and made it tough on all the shooters. This was a huge win as they were able to limit the Splash Brothers and they made it clear that they were only going to allow them a chance to get buckets in the paint, not the 3-point line. The Wolves took advantage of some bad passes and made the best of the chances they had to attack at the rim as they played a complete game in Golden State to come out victorious.
Photo Credit: (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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