The Timberwolves are on the rise
The Minnesota Timberwolves have become the deserved dark horses of the West, this former fish belly team, a change from the past laziness, played the tenth defensive efficiency of the league, rushed to the seventh position in the West, even the Los Angeles double male Lakers and Clippers, were trampled under their feet. With the league's first three-point shot, the league's third-place three-point shooting, and the league's first-place take-advantage of errors, it has become the most watchful team in the league today. This game, they are going to challenge the Portland Trail Blazers.
Lillard is still not returning, but McCollum is back, and the rise of Simmons Jr. has given the Blazers renewed hope in the playoffs. They have only lost one of their last five games and only two of their last eight. So this scene facing the Timberwolves is definitely a rare good play.
Interference ball accurate kill
Edwards and Russell were competitive, and in the first quarter, Edwards had 8 points and 2 rebounds, russell had 9 points and 1 assist, but Towns was in a slump, with only 3 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist on 1-of-3 shooting, the Timberwolves only scored 26 points in a single quarter, and the Blazers scored 29 points. Nurkic faced Downs, although he was hated 3 times, but he became more and more courageous, with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists, and Little also had 8 points and 2 assists. After returning from the second quarter, Towns didn't even make a single shot, only 2 rebounds.
In this case, although Edwards had 11 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal, leading the team to 29 points, the point difference was getting wider and wider, and Simmons Jr. had 7 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists, leading the Blazers to lead the Timberwolves by 8 points at the end of the half. In the second half, the Blazers fell into a scoring drought, only 19 points in a single quarter, Towns finally woke up, with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist in the single quarter, but not a single shot, in the free throw line. The Timberwolves scored 10 points in a single quarter and managed to surpass by 2 points.
In the final quarter of the game, Edwards completely took over the game, scoring 14 points, 1 steal and 1 block on 5-of-6 shooting, helping the team gain a 9-point lead at one point. But McCollum hit a three-pointer, Nurkic made a layup, powell hit two free throws, and the point difference returned to two points. Covington didn't make a key layup, and Russell made two free throws and one shot, leaving the Blazers with 17.7 seconds. McCollum shot straight out of the three-point line, an arrow through the heart, chasing 107-107 draws, with 10.5 seconds left.
The Timberwolves gave Russell the final shot, went around the cover into the box, hit the layup with a low hand, and Simmons tried to block, but interfered with the ball, and there were 2.9 seconds left. Simmons Jr. missed a three-point shot, Nurkic did not make a basket, and finally the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Portland Trail Blazers 109-107 to win two consecutive wins.
Towns was as always
Although the Timberwolves won the game, Downs was still the same, playing 37 minutes in the whole game, only 7 shots, including 4 three-pointers, only 1 shot in the box, as a big center, such a game attitude, somewhat disappointing. But the talent was there, and Towns still got 17 points and 17 rebounds. Edwards shot 14-of-27, 5-of-13 from three-point range, and exploded for 40 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks, becoming the team's number one contributor, and Russell also had 22 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists.
In contrast, Nurkic, although not as talented and powerful as Downs, had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists, 18 shots, only 2 jump shots, and all of them were near the box. Maybe Nurkic's strength is not as good as Downs, but in terms of attitude, it is far ahead. Little also had 20 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists, McCollum was not feeling good, with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists on 5-of-15 shooting, and Simmons Jr. shot 5-of-18 with only 17 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists. It has to be said that if the Blazers want to win, McCollum and Simmons Jr. must find their touch.