In the first game after the All-Star, the Timberwolves won 119-114 at home to the third-place Grizzlies in the West.
After today's game, the Timberwolves' record of Ali's 32-28 continues to be seventh in the West and two wins away from sixth in the West. With the Timberwolves' record, they have great hopes of returning to the playoffs this season, and may even lock up playoff spots directly without participating in the playoffs.
In today's game, Russell, who missed the All-Star, played 38 minutes and shot 13 of 21, including 3 of 8 three-pointers and 8 of 9 from the free throw line, with 37 points, 2 rebounds and 9 assists.
In the fourth quarter, Russell shot 8-of-12 from the field, including 2-of-5 from three-point range and 5-of-5 from the free throw line, for 23 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists. With 1 minute and 23 seconds left in the game, Russell also hit a crucial three-pointer to help the team win. If it weren't for Russell's big breakout in the final quarter, the Timberwolves might not have won the Grizzlies.
It is worth mentioning that in the first three games against the Grizzlies this season, Russell also performed very well, scoring 30 points, 28 points and 29 points respectively.
In contrast, Morant, who was named an All-Star starter, was not very good today, playing 35 minutes, shooting 7-of-25, 0-of-4 from three-point range and 6-of-9 from the free throw line. With 20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, the shooting percentage is very low, of course, Morant's poor performance has something to do with his injury.
Although Morant was selected as an All-Star starter, Morant's personal performance was really not strong in the face of Russell, who did not qualify as an All-Star today. Judging from today's game alone, Russell deserves the All-Star more than Morant.
This season, Russell has performed well overall, averaging 19 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists per game, and although he was not selected as an All-Star, he is also an indispensable player for the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves can achieve the current record, and Russell is inseparable. If the Timberwolves can successfully return to the playoffs this season, Russell will also have a lot of credit.