At this point, it doesn’t matter how the wins come. The Minnesota Timberwolves dug themselves too deep a hole, they dived headlong into it, and they still have plenty of work to do to climb out of it. So it doesn’t matter how the wins come. A sloppy night can be forgiven, a shorthanded Phoenix Suns team can scrap all they like, a second-half sleepwalk can fade out of the memory with a quickness. A win is a win, and wins are all that matter.
The game ends 121-116. And, to be fair, the Wolves probably deserved a scoreline that befitted their night a little better. It wasn’t always the sexy basketball we’d all love to see. It wasn’t always purring or humming or whirring. It was always reasonably comfortable, though.
And that comfortability really pulsated at its strongest in the first half. Without a moment’s notice, Minnesota were percolating offensively and doing enough on the other end to stop Phoenix finding a genuine footing in the game. It was straight-line rim-attacks melding with staunch defense at the rim. It was a fast-paced rhythm dancing with on-point pick-and-roll coverage. It was what they needed to do against a Suns team who are almost as depressing as they are injured.
But, as is the case often with the woebegone squad, the rage was hard to maintain. The fire never extinguished, but it failed to roar all evening. The dreaded third quarter came and went in a surprising fashion, with no dents doled into the 15-point halftime lead, but Phoenix always felt like they had a run in them and they produced it in the final period. Their 3-point shooting started to sting Minnesota’s perimeter defense, and they started attacking the rim relentlessly to draw fouls. But, even with a few hairy moments, blood was never drawn. Minnesota held on, and wins are all that matters.
D’Angelo Russell: 6/10
It wasn’t his best night and it wasn’t his worse. He just hovered around the mean for virtually the entirety of the evening. His shot-making never really hit lift-off but it never really damaged the team’s chances of winning. His playmaking remained sweet around the perimeter and in drive-and-kick game and pretty fucking deplorable in pick-and-roll game alongside Rudy Gobert. He is just a conundrum on nights like this. Not a needle-mover and not an anchor weighing things down. Just a bit of a meh.
Finished with 17 points (53.9% TS), 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 34 minutes — +10.6 net rating.
Anthony Edwards: 9/10
It’s funny, because a night and a box score like this doesn’t even seem outlandish anymore. It’s just another night. Another big fat helping of bully ball drives. Another couple of long-range moneymakers. Another fistful of snaking pick-and-roll buckets. He wasn’t at his best — a couple of unforced turnovers and a few too many defensive breakdowns on the flaming-hot Damion Lee — and yet his box score looks beefy as fuck.
Game by game, moment by moment, godly display by godly display, he is vaulting himself into the upper echelon of stars. The kind who could grab a 30-piece in a zombified state. The kind who can lead a pretty low-energy group to an important win. The kind who can hoist a team up onto his big grizzled shoulders and keep his organization relevant without his co-star.
Finished with 31 points (59.2% TS), 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 37 minutes — +2.5 net rating.
Jaden McDaniels: 9/10
Bounced back from a disappointing performance and back to his usual ways. A low-usage killer who has become proficient in almost every area despite his relatively scarce touches. If you need a trey, he buries two on as many tries. If you need a rim-attack, he swoops to the cup like some sort of lanky fucking condor. If it’s the most versatile perimeter defender on the planet then he is right there, blank-faced and ready to gnaw at the heels of anybody in his path.
Throw in a better effort than usual on the glass and another really encouraging display of playmaking and you have something peculiarly unique. It’s still a joy to watch him flourish.
Finished with 14 points (64.3% TS), 5 rebounds and 6 assists in 36 minutes — +17.5 net rating.
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