The Minnesota Timberwolves returned to action Monday night after a grueling five-game Western Conference road trip that included one struggle, one scheduled loss, fourth-quarter heroics from Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards and, most importantly, four wins Back home to the Target Center, the Wolves catapulted themselves to the top of the conference rankings with a score of 9-3.
On the other hand, in downtown Minneapolis, the New York Knicks have emerged victorious in six of their last seven games and are looking to extend their winning streak to four to cap off their own five-game road trip.
Wolves head coach Chris Finch spoke before the game about the need for his team to show early intensity against a fast-starting Knicks squad (seventh in the first quarter with a net rating of +10.7). Minnesota played through Towns on offense while forcing New York’s drivers down the field to make this happen.
Towns, who was coming off a game with nine assists and zero turnovers against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, made it a point to get Rudy Gobert involved right away. After a turnover on a post entry, KAT found Gobert on a dump-off along the baseline for an easy basket before making a nice extra pass to a wide-open Mike Conley corner 3.
Defensively, Minnesota showed the strength it needed to make life difficult for New York key players Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett. This became particularly important after Jaden McDaniels attempted a rebound and fell on a player’s foot, severely twisting his right ankle. He left at 7:30 a.m. and was immediately eliminated due to a sprained right ankle. As at the beginning of the year, he was replaced by Nickeil Alexander-Walker. But unlike the first part of the season, NAW sank two cornerbacks and looked confident offensively in important minutes.
The Knicks responded to that defense by taking it outside, shooting 4/11 (36.4%) overall in the first frame, led by two from Barrett.
To close out the quarter, Minnesota relied on the strong trio of Kyle Anderson/Naz Reid/Towns playing inside against a New York lineup of four guards led by Isaiah Hartenstein. The team returned well to Towns and he paid it forward; KAT made good, quick decisions while facing two teams, including a beautiful play by Shake Milton who scored the second of Alexander-Walker’s 3-pointers:
Minnesota led by three points after the first quarter (31:28).
The Wolves continued their high energy levels in the second quarter, where they thrived in transition. Led by a duo of Milton and Anderson, Minnesota did a great job picking up the pace after stops, resulting in easy baskets, good offense early in the shot clock, and the best highlights of the night:
The minutes early in the second quarter were among the best of the year for Milton, who had two goals and three assists in 7:45 of playing time.
New York continued to hold back, however, as Minnesota mistimed turnovers entering the halfcourt and failed to finish the possession with rebounds. As our Tyler Metcalf wrote in the preview of this game, the Knicks entered as one of the best offensive rebounding squads. Minnesota struggled to contain Mitchell Robinson, who was incredibly active on the glass and gave the guards opportunities to crash and create second chances. New York grabbed six offensive rebounds in the quarter alone, helping them win the quarter 28-27 despite shooting 10/28 (35.7%) from the floor.
Randle took advantage of the minutes away from Towns and efficiently scored nine points, while Immanuel Quickley added two points and two free throws off the bench to buoy New York’s offense. Seven Knicks scored in that period, largely because of the way they shared the ball in transition, which was a surprisingly important part of that half (Minnesota won 15-14 at the break).
But a key storyline in that second quarter was how passive Edwards was. He made three shots (two 3-pointers) and didn’t even try to get downhill to score or create for others. As a result, the Wolves had difficulty scoring in the halfcourt, which is why their lead at halftime was no greater than two, 58-56.
Edwards’ passive demeanor was certainly part of the message in the halftime locker room. The All-Star was more aggressive and determined and scored more points in the first 1:37 minutes of play (six) than in the entire first half (four), thanks to downhill scoring.
Towns added a follow-up 3-pointer at the key, and it was a 9-0 run by the Wolves after halftime that gave them an 11-point lead at the 10:23 mark of the third period. From then on, the Timberwolves played at a completely different level in the half court than in the first half.
Minnesota played off the catch and shared the ball exceptionally well, moving the New York defense and creating open shots left and right, especially from beyond the arc and at the rim. The Wolves shot 5/8 from distance in the quarter, with each shot coming from a different player, and 5/11 passing, while also reaching the free throw line five times.
Alexander-Walker was particularly good at attacking close-outs and running the baseline to get the ball into the opponent’s corner and into the passage. NAW dropped three dimes in the period, all on close points, including two crucial points for Edwards that helped the young star find a rhythm after a slow first half.
Timberwolves head coach Finch decided to keep Alexander-Walker in his backup point guard role while bringing in Troy Brown Jr. to replace McDaniels’ minutes at the 3, an underrated subplot of wide spacing and ball movement. Brown Jr. made a three-pointer late in the quarter and played solid defense, especially off the ball on throws and saves.
The Wolves combined their efficient offense with excellent half-court defense. Minnesota held the Knicks to 19 points on 6/22 shooting (4/12 on 2s, 2/10 on 3s) and looked to rebound. While the Timberwolves still surrendered six offensive rebounds, the Knicks were far less productive on those second chances than they were in the first half. Gobert was tremendous in his effort on the defensive line, making it very difficult for Robinson and Randle to create putbacks and second chances for the rest of the team.
Brunson, Randle and Barrett all scored three points on 1/3 or worse shooting, and the Timberwolves did a great job forcing them to take perimeter jumpers instead of going into the zone.
Minnesota shot 13/24 (54%) in the quarterfinals and posted a 35-19 frame score that opened the game wide open, with the Wolves leading 93-75 after three frames.
The Timberwolves didn’t have to sweat much in the fourth period as the game never got closer than 12 points. It wouldn’t have come so close if it hadn’t been for a nasty party that dragged out the inevitable for far too long. Edwards and Towns added eight more points each to make it 117-100.
All in all, it was a very impressive chicanery from the Wolves, who move to 10-3 and remain in first place in the Western Conference standings. Towns, Gobert and Reid were all competitive on the team, while Edwards and Anderson combined to take advantage of smaller defenders throughout the night.
Edwards finished with a team-high 23 points on shooting Sept. 21, while Towns added 20 points, five boards, four assists and five sticks and six Wolves scored in double figures.
And on the other hand, Minnesota once again held an opponent to less than 40% shooting from the floor and 30% from deep without compounding mistakes and holding New York to 14 second-chance points from 17 offensive rebounds.
As if we needed another example, this Wolves defense is every bit as good as it is in the NBA, but without McDaniels it will certainly take a hit. It’s never a good sign to be eliminated within minutes, and it’s never a good sign to lose your top defender either, with the addition of Tyrese Maxey and De’Aaron Fox this week. But the Timberwolves are deeper now than they were a year ago, so making up for that loss shouldn’t be the task it once was. Not to mention, winning 10 of the first 13 games while at nearly 100% health makes a few losses more comfortable in McDaniels’ absence.
This story will be updated throughout the night as player and coach media becomes available.
Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images
A very well timed, great bench game
From the moment Alexander-Walker entered the game in the first quarter, he was ready to play. Just 12 seconds into his first stint, he hit a 3-pointer on a catch-and-shoot corner and kept it going from there. NAW delivered his usually excellent defensive performance, but his confident, opportunistic scoring ability turns him from a useful backup into a two-way weapon, making the game easier for his teammates on both sides.
“Mentally I was ready and prepared. (My) teammates will give me confidence because they know that Finch trusts me to replace Jaden and the things Jaden does for this team, the caliber and the contract he just signed,” Alexander said -Walker after the game. “It gives me confidence to know I can be the next guy to take on this job.”
Finch praised his bench stopper not only for his “rushing” perimeter defense, but also for the offensive punch NAW delivered as he compared him to Alexander-Walker’s play a season ago.
“I think more patience. He plays hard. He definitely pushes the pace, he puts his stamp on things. But he doesn’t force anything,” Finch said, comparing Alexander-Walker’s desire to turn one good play into another with Ant’s. “At the start of the season he wasn’t blowing them away and now he’s more confident in his shots and has a lot of really good looks out there.”
When NAW has confidence in his shot, he can get more of his pump-and-go game out of the corners, allowing him to run the baseline and take corners that get the defense rotating. Add that to Nickeil’s regular hustles like this and you’ve got the eighth man.
Finch said you need a strong team for moments like this. Alongside Alexander-Walker – and the ever-reliable Anderson and Reid – Milton and Brown Jr. provided key minutes to give the Wolves a chance they haven’t had all season.
Milton did a great job in transition, while Brown Jr. was very competitive on defense and played well on the secondary as a ball mover and distance player.
“I think he’s definitely comfortable on an open floor,” Finch said of Milton. “Yeah, I think he can get to his spots that way and we want him to be able to be aggressive early. And when he gets in the paint, he’s a really good decision maker and has that nice touch.”
The pair scored 11 points and added 10 rebounds and six assists, valuable on a night where the starters didn’t score as well as they have in recent games.
Now the task is to continue that style of play, as the Wolves will face arguably the league’s two fastest guards in Maxey and Fox, who will give Minnesota everything they can later this week.
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
Rudy Gobert Appreciation Night
Remember when Jarred Vanderbilt earned his nickname “V8” with all of his chaotic plays that helped shape the culture of the 2021-22 squad? Gobert plays a similar role this season, but instead of the frantic plays that sent Vando flying, Rudy does all the little things we gloss over in gameplay.
Boxing out a big P-Pest with Mitchell Robinson on the offensive screen.
I’m fighting to make defensive rebounds tougher so the Wolves’ wings can crash.
Setting up highly productive screens specifically tailored to the ball handler’s tendencies.
He keeps players away from the stage just by his presence.
Throwing lob dunks on the roll.
“Rudy was great. Again, you know, just kind of controlling the color. Just for deterrence purposes, they really want to go there when he was there or sit on the sidelines,” Finch said. “Then he really put his body on the line against Robinson. Robinson had five offensive rebounds in the first (half) and two in the second, so it’s all thanks to Rudy. Another really strong performance.”
Gobert did it all on Monday, which drew numerous standing ovations and chants of “RU-DY, RU-DY, RU-DY” from the home crowd.
The three-time All-Star appreciated that love.
“It was cool. It’s always good to get a little love. I’m trying to be the best Rudy I can be and I’ll continue to do that,” Gobert said. “But it’s cool to see that the fans appreciate my effort. I try to give 200 percent every night. … That’s why I appreciate that.”
Finch has clearly shown that he values (and is committed to) what Gobert brings to the Wolves, especially because so much of Rudy’s impact on the game can go unnoticed by most fans. He repeated that after the game.
“The building has been great all year round. I’m really happy that our fans are enjoying Rudy’s game this year. “He had an All-Defensive Team performance, you know, he did everything, even all the dirty work,” Finch added. “And I think it really resonates with audiences, and I’m actually pretty proud of that.”
Next up
The Wolves will host another game the night before Thanksgiving, this time hosting Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. Fans can watch the CT tipoff at 7 p.m. on Bally Sports North.
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