Star of the Game
The Boston Celtics are a tough team, on both the offensive and defensive ends. Minnesota has lost two of their most valuable role players, and therefore shouldn’t feel too bad about this loss. One of the few bright spots in this game was Anthony Edwards. Though the shooting guard is still struggling to finish at the rim, he managed to score 24 points (shooting 9/16) with five rebounds, six assists and a steal. The other sign of hope is that Edwards played for 37 minutes, which may mean that his knee injury is no longer a problem.
Biggest Concern
Part of the appeal of Minnesota is supposed to be their young core of D’Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Anthony Edwards. While Edwards did fine tonight, Towns and Russell were hampered by Boston’s smothering play. In 30 minutes of play, Russell shot 1/6 and had a total of 4 points. While adding six assists is nice, it is not enough to excuse this poor showing. Towns managed to score 19, but Boston’s big men only let him pull in 4 boards. Pretty sub-par overall from the other two of the big three.
Number of the Night
4. Jaylen Nowell continued to demonstrate why he deserves more minutes. With 13 points (shooting 5/8), two rebounds, two assists, and a block, the back-up guard remains a spark off of Minnesota’s bench. While Malik Beasley’s ankle sprain is terrible for the team, it is giving Nowell the opportunity to step up and make a difference. With improved awareness on defense, Nowell may even fight his way into the starting line-up.
Next Game
The Timberwolves will take on the Raptors on Wednesday at 6:30 PM.
