Minnesota needed it in a close contest with Karl-Anthony Towns already fouled out of the game. Vanderbilt’s late-game effort play helped Minnesota close out the Rockets 114-107..
“I just knew it was a crucial moment in the game,” said Vanderbilt, a Houston native. “I was trying to be active on the boards. … I saw an opportunity to go get a putback. I knew it was a crucial play in the game, so it felt good.”
“Tough stretch of games,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “We could’ve easy had a schedule loss here, but I was proud we found a way to win.”
They found a way indeed. It wasn’t always pretty. The entire contest was chippy, with officials swallowing whistles and players getting tangled up on multiple occasions. It was a little bit sloppy.
Those are exactly the games in which Vanderbilt thrives.
“I think it was a game that was going to come down to multiple efforts, an extra possession, good defense, get your hand on a ball somehow,” Finch said. “He’s been really inspirational for us. His play off the bench has lifted us on many, many occasions.”
Historically, those physical contests are not ones in which the Timberwolves find success. But they’ve been better about delivering the blows of late, versus always being on the receiving end.
“They’re putting their bodies out there, they’re trying to hit first, whether it be offense or defense,” Finch said. “It’s kind of a learned skill. A lot of times you can play passive in the game. But we’ve been victim of that at the start. We grow into the game. We just need to start the game with that type of physicality, and we’re getting better at it.”
Leading by just two with 1 minute, 40 seconds to play, Juancho Hernangomez was off target on a shot for one of the few times all evening on his 3-point attempt. No matter. Jarred Vanderbilt leapt u…
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