The Timberwolves were in Chicago to match up against the Bulls. Both teams need a win badly for seeding in their conferences and with the Bulls starting to get things clicking with DeRozan/LaVine it was going to be a true test for the Timberwolves. The Bulls were going to have their hands full trying to stop Anthony Edwards as he’s scored over 30+ in the last 4 games coming into this game.
The Timberwolves came out clicking on all cylinders tonight in Chicago as the offense was flowing perfectly. Anthony Edwards was finding his stroke early in this game as he just finished hitting back to back 3 pointers. Then with about 4 minutes left in the 1st quarter, Anthony Edwards went down grabbing his ankle and yelling in pain. It was not a sight that Timberwolves wanted to see as Edwards couldn’t put any weight on the foot at all and had to leave the game. One thing that was made clear is that this team is going to fight even without Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns they still were scrappy in this game.
Jaden McDaniels stepped his game up on both ends as he was able to get into his offensive bag and was clamping down on the defensive end. This was a great sight to see for any Timberwolves fan because if McDaniels can continue to improve on the offensive end teams won’t think they can sag off on him anymore. Jaden showed his range with the 3-point shot tonight and he also was able to get to the rim with ease. On the night Jaden McDaniel’s had a career-high 25 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals.
It was a great overall performance as the Bulls couldn’t slow him down with Beverley, LaVine, or Caruso. Once Anthony Edwards left for the locker room the other player that was matching McDaniels energy in the game was the beast Rudy Gobert. It didn’t matter who was in the paint as Rudy Gobert was dominating and playing with the force we want to see from him every night. Gobert was making the Bulls pay inside and let it be known that he was the best big man in Chicago tonight. The only thing that Rudy didn’t do was hit 2 crucial free throws that would give the Timberwolves a lead late but he was on fire. Rudy finished with 21 points and 19 rebounds on the night. A lot needs to be said about the leadership that Mike Conley showed on the court tonight as well because he was hitting big shot after big shot. It was good to see Mike find his groove and he was able to make great decisions against the Bulls tonight. Mike finished with 28 points and looked comfortable out there running the offense with Kyle Anderson alongside him. The Timberwolves had 6 players in double figures tonight but the Bulls just made some bigger plays down the stretch of both overtimes. It simply came down to the fact that Chicago has two players that can get to their spot anytime and create opportunity and Minnesota’s players that can match those that were hurt.
The Bulls had DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine it’s that simple. The Timberwolves were trying to guard them the best they could for 58 minutes tonight as they had to go to double overtime. Jaden McDaniels was playing amazing defense but sometimes you have to tip your hat to better offense and that’s what happened tonight. DeRozan was living at the free-throw line tonight as he got 17 of his 49 points from there. DeRozan was a tough guard and showed that he still has a lot in the tank. Deebo also added 14 rebounds on the night as well. He was putting on a mid-range showcase and it was too much for the Timberwolves to handle down the stretch because once a shooter sees the ball go through the net he builds that confidence up. Zach LaVine started off slow with his offense and when you looked up at the end of the game he still was able to finish with 39 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists on the night. Chicago was making tough shots and putting pressure on the Timberwolves’ defense all night long. Without Anthony Edwards, it was tough to adjust on the fly and the Bulls were able to make the adjustments needed on Rudy to come out with a win in double overtime. It speaks volumes about this Timberwolves team though to continue to fight without their two best players and still make it a game.
The Timberwolves had no information on Anthony Edward’s injury postgame but they will have to get ready to play tomorrow in a back-to-back. It would make sense to say that Anthony Edwards will be out tomorrow as he was seen in a walking boot but you can’t put anything past the All-Star he just wants to hoop.
Photo Credit: (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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