In a sea of delirium on the Target Center floor following the Timberwolves’ 109-104 win over the Clippers, Patrick Beverley, down to his singlet, found Anthony Edwards.
The two shared a long, tight hug and ended up jumping towards the bench together for joy.
Edwards, who had 30 points in the biggest game of his young career, bent and yelled for the crowd. Beverly sat back down on the bench and was in tears. He then got up, hugged his family and later downed a tall Bud Light as he made his post-game remarks alongside Edwards.
“Man, I wanted this so bad,” Beverley said. “I wanted this so badly.”
Everything that has derailed this Wolves team in the past — foul troubles from Karl-Anthony Towns, complaints about the referee, a fourth-quarter surge from an experienced, playoff-proven opponent — wasn’t the case on Tuesday night.
As the clock ticked down after the win, Beverley threw the ball high in the air and started the party at the Target Center in the Wolves’ second playoff berth since 2004. They will play Game 1 in Memphis on Saturday at 2:30 p.m
“Couldn’t have been prouder of the lads,” said a soaked coach Chris Finch, who might have gotten a water bath or two after the game. “It’s an emotional win for us. We gave it our all. We fought our way through a lot of adversity, but we kept fighting. Every time it seemed like the game was escaping us, we just kept going. Enough plays do.”
They had to do them without their best player on the floor in the last 7 minutes and 34 seconds.
D’Angelo Russell picked a good time with 29 points in 10-for-18 shooting to have his best moment in a Wolves uniform. Russell has received some criticism from fans and the media for his tendency to sit for games at the same time and for his inconsistency when playing.
On Tuesday, he showed up when the wolves needed him most.
“It’s almost like faith, you know?” said Russel. “You have your own beliefs, but when it comes to being a professional, you have to trust your craft. There will be ups and downs, whatever, but if you trust it and commit to it and include it, it comes back, it returns the favor.”
Edwards was right there with him at 10-for-21. He scored the first seven points of the evening as Wolves made a nightmarish offensive start in the first quarter. He attacked when the team needed him and his knight worked (5v11 from three-pointers).
“They were afraid to guard me,” Edwards said. “And I took advantage of that.
Between sips of his beer, Beverley, who had seven points and 11 rebounds, couldn’t help but gush over Edwards.
“Nobody can guard him,” Beverley said. “I’ve been telling him that all year. I don’t care who plays on him. I’ve seen the best defenders. I’m one of the best defenders in the world. Nobody can protect him. I just keep preaching that to him and he did it all season. … This is his moment. He deserves it all. This is his moment.
Together, Russell, Edwards and Beverley helped Wolves overcome Towns’ dire troubles and possible emotional breakdown that has accompanied it in the past.
BOXSCORE: Wolves 109, LA Clippers 104
Towns wore his emotion on his sleeve with every foul call. The Clippers only have his number. They had long bodies that they could throw on the ground at any point. Finch said before the game he expected “wrestling matches” between Towns and the Clippers front court.
Finally they pushed him onto the bench.
“To be honest, it wasn’t KAT’s game,” Finch said.
After committing his fifth foul in the third quarter, Towns had some choice words for the officials for those who could hear around the wolf bench. Russell, who was on an exercise bike nearby, told him to “let it go.” Towns ended with 11 points and five rebounds.
The wolves moved on without him all night.
Shortly after Towns picked up his fourth foul in the second quarter, they went on a run after play was stopped to remove a protester who was trying to glue herself to the ground. The woman tried to protest an egg farm owned by Glen Taylor, owner of Wolves and Star Tribune.
The fans and Wolves emotionally swayed at that moment, which brought a different energy to the arena. Oddly enough, it seemed to calm everyone, and Wolves beat the Clippers 14-6 the rest of the half. Russell had 14 points in the second.
“He was great,” said Finch. “He gave us a kickstart in the second quarter with a lot of really smart play. He sort of calmed us down, made big shots, got the ball moving.”
In the fourth quarter, Wolves went more than seven minutes without Towns while trailing 93-86. They’ve had bigger comebacks in terms of points this season, but none as high-stakes.
Edwards edged the ball with abandon. Russell hit a huge pull-up three, a shot he struggled with at times, to put them 97-95 ahead at 4:40 before the game.
“He hadn’t done that pull-up in a long time, but we never really told him not to do it,” Finch said. “We wanted him to remain confident. He actually surprised me a bit that he took it.”
When the defense broke up and Edwards went up to an undisputed dunk at 4:02, Wolves and the fans could really feel it. They didn’t give up leadership after regaining it.
Russell and Edwards arranged for the crime. The entire team defended.
“Tonight was all about defense,” said Finch. “It was outstanding. Executed the game plan perfectly. We were the more physical team and that’s what we wanted to be.”
Before the season, they set out to be a playoff team. As Beverley said, not many gave them a chance to be one. But here they are, on their way to Memphis.
“I told you we were going to the playoffs,” Beverley said. “You all looked at me like I was crazy.”