Remember the game that the Minnesota Timberwolves played away to the Philadelphia 76ers at the start of the season? Anthony Edwards missed the perimeter, hitting just one of his eight three-point shots. Karl-Anthony Towns left the field with six fouls in the fourth quarter, and no one on the inside could stop Joel Embiid. At this critical juncture, D'Angelo Russell scored 15 points in the fourth quarter and scored 12 points in the next two overtime games to carry the Timberwolves to a 121-120 victory over the 76ers.
Russell blasted 35 points, 8 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, hitting 6 three-pointers, making Embiid, who had 42 points and 14 rebounds, in vain.
February 25 is another such day. With five fouls, Towns had to sit anxiously on the bench for the first half of the fourth quarter. Edwards couldn't find the bullseye in the Target Center arena and finished with just five points, four rebounds and seven assists on 1-of-11 shooting. D'Angelo Russell looked up at the timer, then unleashed his latent killer instincts once and for all.
On this day, the Timberwolves played against the Memphis Grizzlies, a formidable opponent in the West. The game was Russell's 100th game for the Timberwolves. During the game, he played one of the best performances of his Career in the Timberwolves. Russell was in full control of the fourth quarter, scoring 23 points in the final quarter and providing three assists to help the team eventually win the Grizzlies 119-114. The Timberwolves scored a total of 35 points in the fourth quarter, 31 of which were related to Russell.
Ice in my veins! Russell lifted the Rising Timberwolves with 37 points and nine assists. 32 wins, 28 losses, seventh in the West!
You can't seem to say exactly who Downs, Russell, and Edwards are the leaders of the Timberwolves. Know that every team has a leader who can lead them forward. For example, Golden State Warriors' Curry, Los Angeles Lakers' James, Brooklyn Nets' Durant, Milwaukee Bucks' Alphabet Brother, Denver Nuggets' Jokic. But what about the Timberwolves? There seems to be no leader on his own, but often at critical junctures it is Russell who comes forward and is quite effective.
"You can't stop us all. I think to stop the three of us is the most difficult thing for any team. "If The First Plan doesn't work, we'll see the next one work." ”
Russell scored 23 points in the fourth quarter to tie the Timberwolves' record for single-player scoring in the final quarter, after james Robinson.
"I believe in my technology. The coach has built us a great system. Russell said.
On Russell's side, Towns contributed 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Timberwolves, and Malik Beasley scored 17 points on 5-of-7 three-pointers. As usual, Jared Vanderbilt was aggressive under the rebounds, grabbing 12 rebounds. He sped around, patching up defenses everywhere and causing the Grizzlies a lot of trouble.
The Timberwolves have played the Grizzlies four times this season, with two wins and two losses. Now that the Grizzlies are third in the West, the two teams are likely to meet again in the playoffs.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said, "I think we can play really well against this team [the Grizzlies], we can match the right position. We think we should have at least 3 wins and 1 loss against them this season, and they found a way to beat us at the end of the game. ”
The Grizzlies led by 15 points at one point in the first quarter, but with 7:11 left in the game, a layup by Russell cost them the lead. With 3:10 left in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies trailed to 109-110. Russell broke through to return the attack, with Brandon Clark and Ja Morant scoring three points to tie. After 114 draws, Russell received a Downs split with 1 minute and 23 seconds left in the game and hit a three-point shot in the bottom corner to break the draw.
The fans at the scene went crazy.
"He could do whatever he wanted after the block and we kept playing like that. His performance in this game is incredible. Finch said.
Asked what he thought of Russell's performance tonight, Edwards laughed and said, "He's incredible. He reminded me of myself. ”
Edwards has always been honest, and he has the courage to be self-critical. He told reporters: "My shots were terrible, although my plus-minus was +5 and we won 5 points, but I played badly. "While Edwards was out of par on the offensive end of the game, his performance on the defensive end was impressive.
Under the interference of Edwards, Morant's equalizer in the last 5 seconds did not even touch the basket. After the game, Edwards happily celebrated the successful defense, like a game with a 40-point victory.
"In a one-on-one game, I can defend anyone in the NBA."
"I always tell people that I'd rather give a winning cover than a winning goal, which makes me very proud. Anyone can shoot the winning ball, but I don't think everyone can give a winning cover, or a winning defense. Edwards said.
In the first game after the All-Star Game, the Timberwolves scored a victory that meant a lot to them. The Grizzlies are one of the league's most well-rounded teams of the season, having a third-best record of 41 wins before the All-Star Game, only to be crushed defensively.
Grizzlies coach Jenkins said: "We gave our opponents too many easy assists, layups and free throws, and if we want to be good and take to the next level, we need to play physically and mentally, and we didn't do that tonight. ”
Some time before the All-Star, the Grizzlies had a 6-1 record, averaging more than 126 points per game. In this game, the Grizzlies had a huge advantage in rebounding, grabbing 17 more than the Timberwolves and making it 26-12 offensive rebounds. Zaire Williams and Jalen Jackson Jr. each contributed 21 points to the Grizzlies, while Jalen Jackson Jr. also had 11 rebounds and three blocks. While the Grizzlies are certainly not in their best form, and Morant was injured during the game, the Timberwolves were still able to overcome such a huge rebounding disadvantage, which is enough to prove their growth.
For years, the Timberwolves were seen as one of the league's most failed teams. Players, coaches and executives have gone through the storm, starting with David Kahn and Kurt Rambis to the ouster of Geson Roses, from Kevin Lucky unhappy, to Ricky Rubio injured knee, to Kevin Garnett fighting with management, to Tom Thibodeau at the helm. From Jimmy Butler's selfishness and arrogance to Wiggins being traded to the Golden State Warriors. An entire generation of fans felt that the Timberwolves were hopeless. Even in the only season butler, the Timberwolves made the playoffs, but the results were unsustainable, erupting spectacularly just a few months later.
But this season everything is different, everything has changed, and the Timberwolves will have to sweep away the haze of the past to meet their own success.