Before the game against the Bucks, the Timberwolves were in hot form to win three straight games, and the point difference between winning in all three games was around double digits. Their opponent was the defending champion Bucks, who won 113-108 in their first meeting of the season. If this game can be won, the Timberwolves will complete the sweep of the Bucks in a single season after a gap of eight seasons.
In the first quarter of the game, the Bucks took the lead at the beginning, and the Timberwolves quickly completed the rebound and temporarily led 34-28 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Timberwolves continued to widen the point difference and led to double digits at one point. While the Bucks tried to chase points, the Timberwolves took a 12-point lead to the second half. In the third quarter, the Timberwolves played a small climax of 24:11 in the outside of the game, extending the lead to 23 points in one fell swoop. In the final quarter, the Timberwolves always played steadily, maintaining the lead until the end, and finally won 138:119 to complete the double kill against the opponent.
After winning this game, according to statistics, the Timberwolves' current record has reached 42 wins and 30 losses, ranking seventh in the West with a win rate of 58.3%. With little games left in the regular season, the Timberwolves have been able to ensure a 50 percent-plus win rate at the end of the regular season, the ninth time in their 33-year history, and the last time goes back to the 47-35 losses of the 2017-2018 season. Moreover, from the current pattern of the West, the possibility of the Eighth Rank clippers catching up with the Timberwolves is already very small, but the Timberwolves, who have won four consecutive games, have a good chance of impacting the top six in the West.
The Timberwolves have played an excellent season so far, after all, in the previous seasons, although they often had high hopes before the start of the season, the final result is that they have not made it to the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, and even often become the bottom team in the West. This has also made many fans very disappointed in them, and the old Datangs of the Timberwolves has also suffered considerable doubts. After three seasons of ups and downs, this season's Timberwolves have finally played a performance that makes fans very satisfied, and the reasons for this are inseparable from the following points.
First of all, Towns is undoubtedly one of the biggest contributors to the Timberwolves' ability to take off this season. After several seasons of being questioned by fans about his lack of toughness as an interior player, Downs this season has finally proved himself well. So far, Towns has played in 65 games for the Timberwolves, averaging 24.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 blocks per game in 33.5 minutes per game, shooting 52.9% from the field and 41.2% from three-point range. Although Downs still has a certain degree of decline in stats compared to previous seasons, his toughness on the field is different from the past.
This season, Towns has stopped being afraid of the inside, while at the same time reducing his average three-point shooting per game from 6.3 last season to five so far this season, while shooting as much as 3 percent. This makes Downs' offensive area more comprehensive, he can both turn the river on the inside and shoot from a distance in the outside projection, making the opponent invincible. In the game against the Spurs, Towns shot 19-of-31 from the field, including 7-of-11 three-pointers to score a career-high 60 points and 17 rebounds. In short, the current threat from Towns on the offensive end is increasingly intimidating to opponents.
Secondly, the team's second champion, Edwards, has improved this season, which is also an important reason why the Timberwolves can take off. As the champion of last season, Edwards' rookie season had ups and downs, and it was not until the second half of the season that he really showed his strength as a champion. So far, Edwards has played in 62 games for the Timberwolves, averaging 21.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game in an average of 34.3 minutes per game.
Again, it has to be said that the most correct choice made by the Timberwolves in the offseason is to get Beverley through a trade. Last season, while the young Timberwolves were energetic on the offensive end, they didn't perform satisfactorily on the defensive end, which is a big reason why they ended up with a very bad record. This season, after trading Beverley, the Timberwolves have an extremely important outside core on the defensive end, and Beverley's presence makes it no easier for opponents to score on the Timberwolves' head. In addition, Beverley also averaged 9.3 points and 4.7 assists on the offensive end. More crucially, in many games, Beverley has used his passion to improve the morale of the Timberwolves team.
In the end, the Timberwolves sacked junior coach Sanders Jr. in the offseason and hired veteran coach Chris Finch, who had assisted Nas, was the most correct choice. After Finch took over the coach's whip, the Appearance of the Timberwolves' team has changed dramatically this season. They have transformed from a young and energetic young team that only values offensive performance to a mature and stable team with both attack and defense. So far this season, the Timberwolves have averaged the league's 115.5 points per game and ranked 11th in the league with 109.8 defensive efficiency. The current state and record of the Timberwolves have changed so much, and Finch is indispensable.
Of course, if the Timberwolves want to finally return to the playoffs, they must maintain their current hot state. After all, if they can't reach the top six in the West at the end of the season, they will also face a cruel test in the playoffs, and if they are not careful, they are likely to miss the playoffs. In the next schedule, the Timberwolves will also face the Suns, Celtics and Nuggets and other playoff-level teams, they must remain vigilant and strive to enter the playoffs in the safest way possible.
If he can finally return to the playoffs this season and play well in the playoffs, then Downs' star composition will undoubtedly increase a lot. At least for now, the team that has been ridiculed by fans as a "husky" for many seasons is gradually rising, and I believe that in the near future, they will achieve better results that will impress fans even more.