The NBA playoffs continued, and the Timberwolves' game against the Grizzlies officially began. Before the game, I believe most fans will predict that the Grizzlies will be able to win this game easily. After all, the Grizzlies are the second team in the West, and the Timberwolves are the Seventh team in the West. However, what fans did not expect was that the Timberwolves played very resiliently in this game, and both offensive and defensive ends could keep up with the rhythm of the Grizzlies. In the first quarter, the Timberwolves took an eight-point lead. Although the Grizzlies have been in a point-chasing situation in the next three quarters, the Timberwolves withstood the pressure in the final game to defeat the Grizzlies 130-117.
Objectively speaking, the Timberwolves won this game deservedly. The reason is that after the whole game, the Timberwolves' statistics are absolutely dominant. Let's take a look at a few sets of data, rebounding: The Timberwolves grabbed 45 rebounds and the Grizzlies 35 rebounds. Assists: The Timberwolves delivered 31 assists and the Grizzlies provided 25 assists. Shooting percentage: The Timberwolves shot 50 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range. The Grizzlies shot 45 percent from the field and 26 percent from three-point range. I have to say that in the face of such a data, we can only say that the Grizzlies have lost unjustly.
Well, after reading the data, let's talk about the Timberwolves. This article would like to focus on the three players of Downs, Edwards and Russell.
Speaking of Edwards first, Edwards played 39 minutes in this game, shooting 12-of-23, including 4-of-11 three-pointers and 8-of-8 free throws, with 36 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. It is worth mentioning that Edwards' 36 points are tied for the 4th in the NBA's all-time debut score, behind Luka Doncic's 42 points in 2020. I believe that fans who have watched the game will know how well Edwards played, especially in the offensive end, Edwards is the timberwolves' most stable offensive player. He can shoot, break through, assist, and the free throws are very stable. To put it bluntly, Edwards is the golden oil of the Timberwolves, as long as he is on the court Timberwolves will not mess, as long as he is on the court Timberwolves will not fall into the situation of no one to score.
After Edwards, then downs. Towns played 42 minutes and shot 11-of-18, including 2-of-5 from three-point range and 5-of-5 from the free throw line, with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks. If Edwards is the Timberwolves' super scorer, Then Towns is the Timberwolves' leader. On the court, Towns can inspire his teammates in time, can stand up and score when the team is in trouble, and can become a defensive tough guy when the team's defense is flawed. To borrow a phrase from the on-site commentator, it is "Downs proved himself in the first battle". Yes, the teacher's words are not bad at all, and the last game Towns did not play well and was questioned by the fans. However, in this game, Towns punched the doubters in the face with practical actions, telling fans with practical actions that he was the center of the top three in the league.
Finally, Russell. Russell played 28 minutes in this game, shooting 2-of-11, including 1-of-5 from three-point range and 5-of-5 from the free throw line, and got 10 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 steal. I don't know, what do you think of Russell? Anyway, I have only one assessment of Russell, and that is that Mr. Billion has dropped the chain again. Fans who have watched the game will know how badly Russell played this game. On the offensive end, Russell couldn't find his form at all, whether it was a three-point shot or a breakthrough Russell couldn't find his place. Russell on the defensive end often leaks and changes the defense wrong. Most notably, a key misstep by Russell in the final decisive moment and an irrational foul on the back defense almost became the turning point of the game.
The Timberwolves have taken a 1-0 lead over the Grizzlies after winning this game, and there is no doubt that the Confidence of the Timberwolves will increase greatly after this game, and they are one step closer to the goal of the Black 7. However, I would say that the Timberwolves want the Black 7 to rely on Towns and Edwards alone, because they also need Russell's support. In other words, if Russell doesn't play Timberwolves think Black Seven is really hard.