And, just like that, the Minnesota Timberwolves seemed to have grasped onto some momentum. Those wisps of momentum have been fleeting and impossibly slippery this season, but this felt like a massive step in the direction of chemistry and effectiveness. Sure, the Orlando Magic were decimated by injuries, but the Wolves have waltzed into this trap game and limped away beaten and bloody a thousand times. In this one, they took care of business. They seized that momentum.
The game ends 126-108. A bell-to-bell beatdown. There was a brief moment in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter where the Magic started wagging their tail, but the sizzling Wolves quickly yanked the chain and shut that creaking gate. After letting Cleveland claw all the way back on Sunday, closing this one out with style felt imperative. But doing what they did before the final quarter felt more than imperative. It felt freeing. It felt like the volcano that has been bubbling away finally erupted. On both sides of the ball, that molten lava was flowing relentlessly.
Minnesota moved the rock crisply and the players moved without it even crispier. They lived in transition, they cracked open the first line of defense and whipped passes to awaiting shooters, and they cut often and effectively. They have flashed that cohesiveness before, but never have they strung it together for so long. And, additionally, they’ve never blended their offensive firepower with a strong and smart rebounding night and a jackal-like defensive performance.
It feels good to bask in the glory of a win. It feels good to feel the bright rays of momentum once again.
D’Angelo Russell: 7/10
Felt like he was back on the roller coaster for most of this game. His season has been peaks and (mostly) valleys, but he is probably just craving some flat ground. Some consistency. Once again, it was giving him the slip throughout the first three quarters.
To be fair to him, he seemed happy to deflect to Anthony Edwards, who was spewing flames like some sort of malfunctioning flamethrower. When he is in that sort of mood, getting him the ball and getting out of the fucking way might be the best course of action.
However, as Minnesota’s mercurial star cooled off slightly and Orlando started weaseling their way back into the contest, Russell stepped up. A sprinkling of mid-range fairy dust, a hard-nosed drive, and an isolation triple sealed the win and stopped the rot. That felt a little more like flat ground.
Finished with 11 points (45.8% TS), 3 rebounds and 6 assists in 32 minutes — +23.4 net rating.
Anthony Edwards: 10/10
A first quarter where all you can do is chuckle maniacally. Splash, splash, splash, splash, splash. Fuck off, Orlando. You might have warm weather, but we have the fucking sun. There are very few things in the history of this downtrodden franchise as spine-tinglingly delightful as an Anthony Edwards boomlet.
This game was more than just that original strike of lightning. This was a full-blown and well-rounded thunderstorm. He didn’t take his foot off the scoring pedal after his 19-point opening stanza, but he mixed in a plethora of passing excellence out of pick-and-roll and in transition. And, perhaps most importantly, he spent the majority of the night attentive and aggressive both on and off the ball defensively.
This was it. The snapshot of superstardom that we all crave.
Finished with 35 points (75.8% TS), 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in 39 minutes — +33.7 net rating.
Jaden McDaniels: 7/10
Among the Edwards power surge and the teamwide budding ball-movement, he was there. Flying under the radar but doing his thing. Made Franz Wagner work like a sheepdog for his buckets all night long. Made him work just to get the ball over the timeline. Made him feel those shadowy tentacles smothering him all night long.
The Timberwolves simply do not have any other player who can do the things he can do defensively. That fact alone allows his offensive game — shooting from deep particularly — to ebb and flow, as it did in this one, without becoming a burden. It’s also nice to see him snagging boards, a quality that has often escaped him this season. He is stringing together really mouth-watering stretches of late.
Finished with 10 points (38.8% TS), 8 rebounds and 2 assists in 35 minutes — +24.3 net rating.
Karl-Anthony Towns: 10/10
They really just didn’t have an answer for him. Bol Bol looks like he just climbed out of a gooey alien nest and Mo Bamba is like an octopus with legs, but neither of them has the defensive nous to stop Towns. They just don’t. They’re naught but fucking puree when he is playing under control and exuding calmness and confidence.
As has been the case for much of this campaign, he had his hairy moments defensively, but this was one of these nights where all of his offensive mastery outweighed his defensive imperfections. Seemingly without ever breaking a sweat, he feasted at the rim, knocked down a pair of treys, and continued his growth into one of the NBA’s premier passing bigs.
It’s worth noting that his on-court relationship with Rudy Gobert is blooming like a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. Gobert had a few moments where he looked ready to blow because of his guard’s unwillingness to get him the ball, but Towns continued to feed the hungry beast. Towns’ leadership is often hit and miss, but that felt like a big hit. Northern Heights glowing majestically.
Finished with 30 points (81% TS), 5 rebounds and 5 assists in 36 minutes — +14.2 net rating.
Rudy Gobert: 10/10
Oh yeah, he is fitting in now. He is finding his niche and fucking thriving in his niche. As he was learning to fit in on the fly we saw flashes of his niche, but now we’re seeing long, impactful stretches of it.
You could disregard his 16 points on seven shots and the way he manhandled Orlando’s giants with ease on the glass and still find immense beauty in just his defensive aura. His trademarked forcefield of fuck off around the rim. All night the Magic tried to challenge him and all night they came up empty, his long arms like battleaxes beheading any foe who comes near.
Finished with 16 points (76% TS), 8 rebounds and 2 steals in 32 minutes — +42.1 net rating.
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