Simmons Jr. is out
With nine three-pointers in a single game, Simmons Jr. still failed to bring a win to the team as they met the Minnesota Timberwolves, the dark horse of the West. Arguably, the Timberwolves are one of the most talented teams in the league, Towns is playing the best season of his career, Russell has found the right position, Edwards athleticism is explosive, and Beverley has become the team's locker room leader. After a four-game winning streak, the Timberwolves have thrown off the Clippers Lakers and are on their way to catching up with the Denver Nuggets.
This game, the Timberwolves continued to play against the Portland Trail Blazers at home. The Blazers, who have lost 4 consecutive games, are full of injuries, and Simmons Jr. cannot play in this game because of injuries, in this case, the Blazers are naturally not opponents of the Timberwolves. However, the NBA has no weak brigade, even in the face of the trailblazers who are short of major generals, the Timberwolves can not have the slightest carelessness.
There is no suspense in the game
Russell and Edwards were unable to play because of injuries, and Towns stepped up in the first quarter, shooting 3-of-7 and 5-of-7 from the free throw line to get 12 points and 5 rebounds, leading the Timberwolves to easily blast down 31 points, as for the Blazers, only 15 points were scored, and the difference between the two teams was 16 points. After returning from the second quarter, the Blazers' offensive status was still not recovered, only 19 points in the single quarter, Towns took 7 points, 7 rebounds and 1 assist, McLaughlin also had 8 points, 1 assist and 2 steals, and the Timberwolves had 30 points in the single quarter.
So, by the end of the half, the Timberwolves had led the Trail Blazers by as many as 27 points 61-34, and the game could be said to have basically lost suspense. In the second half, the Blazers finally regained their offensive form slightly, of course, this is also related to the big score lead and the decline of the Timberwolves defense. Williams had 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 steals, Hart also had 3 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, and the team scored 26 points in a single quarter, but the point difference was still expanding. Towns had another 8 points and 1 rebound, Beasley had 12 points and 1 rebound, and the team scored 29 points in a single quarter, and the point difference at the end of the third quarter was 30 points.
With such a huge point difference, the last quarter becomes garbage time. The Timberwolves' starter did not come out again, and Towns happily sat on the bench to watch, and even so, the team continued to expand its lead, and the point difference once reached 45 points. With the final whistle sounding, the Minnesota Timberwolves eventually beat the Portland Blazers by 43 points 124-81 to win five consecutive games.
Shake off the Lakers Clippers
A big win of 43 points once again shows us the strength of the dark horses in the West. After winning this game, the Timberwolves won five consecutive games, successfully shrugged off the Lakers Clippers, sat firmly in the seventh position in the West, and had a good chance to hit the sixth position in the West and get out of the playoffs. Towns only played 24 minutes, but on 8-of-14 shooting, he had 27 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 blocks, and his personal performance was very efficient, Beasley also had 19 points, 1 rebound and 2 steals, Reid had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Beverly 6 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.
This game, the Timberwolves won without any suspense. As one of the best-in-form teams since the All-Star, the Timberwolves are cashing in on their talents, and as for the Portland Trail Blazers, they had the opportunity to impact the playoffs, but injuries have completely lost hope. In this game, 22-year-old Brandon Williams, with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 1 block, is the team's best performer, but the salary is only $50,000, and Hart shot 2 of 12, which is 6 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, which is not satisfactory.