All Things 2021-2022 Minnesota Timberwolves In-Season Thread

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CHICAGO -- — DeMar DeRozan delivered another big performance and got plenty of help along the way. It added up to a well-rounded win for the the balanced Bulls even though Zach LaVine struggled.

DeRozan scored 35 points, Nikola Vucevic added 26 and Chicago used a big fourth quarter to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 134-122 on Friday night.

Tied with Milwaukee and Cleveland for second place in the Eastern Conference coming in, the Bulls went on a 15-2 run early in the fourth and outscored the Timberwolves 42-31 in the period..

The Timberwolves lost their second in a row following five consecutive wins.

Anthony Edwards scored 31. Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. D'Angelo Russell added 18 points.

"I want the fans to know this," Towns said. "This is not panic button. This is not the old Wolves, you press the panic button, everyone gotta do this, we gotta do that. We're good."

DECISIVE RUN

Minnesota led 100-97 early in the fourth when the Bulls went on that 15-2 run..

Timberwolves: The 134 points allowed were two shy of a season high. Utah beat the Timberwolves 136-104 on Dec. 8. ... Minnesota shot 13 of 40 on 3-pointers. ... Chicago product Patrick Beverley scored 10. ... Beverley (sprained right ankle), Edwards (left knee pain), G Josh Okogie (bruised right quad), F Taurean Prince (sprained left ankle), C Naz Reid (bruised right knee) and Russell (bruised left shin) were all available after being listed as questionable..

Timberwolves: Visit Indiana on Sunday.

www.espn.com

Timberwolves vs. Bulls - Game Recap - February 11, 2022 - ESPN

Get a recap of the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Chicago Bulls basketball game.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 

jamiche said:
We have to get you off of the ledge (again).
KAT, Ant and DLo have improved defensively significantly this year, until the last 4-5 games. The last few games aside, they have become average defensively, which is a huge improvement. Now we have to see if the last 4-5 games are an aberration or a reversion.
A .500 roster is a huge improvement over a .300 roster. Enjoy it and let's see if they can build on it.
TC is a quiet building. Seventeen years of continuous losing will do that to a fan base. DLo's comment was impolitic, but accurate.
Click to expand...
.500 is what they will always be with those three as the core.

How do you have them as average defensively?
 
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Wolves beat the Pacers in Indianapolis 129-120, while still missing 2 lay-ups and a dunk in the last 7 minutes. That ends a streak of 23 games, 17 of which were on the road. They have 2 games at home this week followed by an 8 game All-Star break for all of them except Towns and Edwards. Should give Russell, Beverly etc. a chance to get some rest and get healthier.

"Edwards became the fourth-youngest player in NBA history to reach the 2,500-point mark when he made his first basket of the game. The second-year forward is 20 years, 192 days old. LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are the only younger players to achieve the feat.

The Timberwolves snapped a two-game losing streak overall and a three-game losing streak at Indiana as they compete to finish among the top six in the Western Conference and avoid the play-in round.

Oshae Brissett had a season-high 22 points and matched his career high with 13 rebounds for Indiana, which has lost six in a row.. Tyrese Haliburton added 22 points and 16 assists, one short of tying his career high in just his second game with the Pacers.

The difference was Minnesota's size and depth.."

TIP-INS

Timberwolves: Karl Anthony-Towns had 15 points and 13 rebounds and D'Angelo Russell had 23 points and six assists. ... Patrick Beverley and Naz Reid each scored 13 points, Jaden McDaniels had 11 and Beasley finished with 10. ... Minnesota was 18 of 34 on 3s. ... The Timberwolves matched their season high with 41 second-quarter points. ... Minnesota has scored at least 100 points by the end of the third quarter 10 times this season.

www.espn.com

Timberwolves 129-120 Pacers (Feb 13, 2022) Game Recap - ESPN

Expert recap and game analysis of the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Indiana Pacers NBA game from February 13, 2022 on ESPN.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
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Frink said:
Is it me or does it seem insane that Lance Stephenson is still in the league? Feels like he's 60 years old.
Click to expand...

Felt the same way! Knew he played for the Wolves just didn't know when. Looked it up.

He's only 31 and he did play for the Wolves back in '16-17, but for only 6 games!

www.espn.com

Lance Stephenson Career Stats - NBA - ESPN

Complete career NBA stats for the Indiana Pacers Guard Lance Stephenson on ESPN. Includes points, rebounds, and assists.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
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Iceland12 said:
Felt the same way! Knew he played for the Wolves just didn't know when. Looked it up.

He's only 31 and he did play for the Wolves back in '16-17, but for only 6 games!

www.espn.com

Lance Stephenson Career Stats - NBA - ESPN

Complete career NBA stats for the Indiana Pacers Guard Lance Stephenson on ESPN. Includes points, rebounds, and assists.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
Click to expand...
Can't believe Lance Stephenson played for the wolves. He's still in the league because he actually has, or had, talent. The problem always was that he had no clue how, when or why he should use it. He was most famous for blowing kisses at LeBron during the playoffs a while back.
 





tikited said:
Wow. Didn't see that coming. Big boy move by the Wolves.
Click to expand...
Good move. A happy PatBev is an asset in the locker room and on the floor. An unhappy PatBev is disruptive in the locker room and an uncertainty on the floor because he's likely to sit out more games. Because Beverly is so volatile, if he's unhappy around this time next year the wolves can trade his expiring deal. The short contract even has value during the summer transaction season. Win, win.
 

Anyone notice that weeks ago, Ant made a statement at a press-conference, that the team has to have more than just 3 players making plays, and those 3 players need to get the other players involved in the games.
The Wolves really improved their play after Ant made those comments. That was very mature thing for a young player to say publicly. Ant is a stud.
 

LaMelo Ball will make his first NBA all-star appearance Sunday night after being tabbed as an injury replacement in the Eastern Conference. Anthony Edwards just barely missed the cut. They’ll both headline the Rising Stars Challenge game on Friday in Cleveland.

Before that, the two will meet Tuesday at Target Center in a regular-season duel that’s quickly becoming twice-a-year must-see TV.

Both have had all-star-caliber seasons. Both are just 20 years old — separated by only 17 days at birth, and currently the age of most traditional rookies — and both seem to be on a trajectory to become faces of the NBA one day in the not-too-distant future with their magnetic play and personalities.

Put simply: They’re really fun to watch..

www.twincities.com

Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards, Hornets’ LaMelo Ball are NBA superstars in the making

Put simply: They’re really fun to watch.
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com
 

LakevilleBro said:
Anyone notice that weeks ago, Ant made a statement at a press-conference, that the team has to have more than just 3 players making plays, and those 3 players need to get the other players involved in the games.
The Wolves really improved their play after Ant made those comments. That was very mature thing for a young player to say publicly. Ant is a stud.
Click to expand...
Speaking of Ant.......if his knees are bothering him, pull him out of any all-star stuff. It's meaningless to play. Let him rest.
 

Good late comeback by the wolves here but Russell with two bad looks from 3 means we're going to overtime.

Really don't get why they just had him take the air out of the ball and then end up with a tough 3 attempt
 

With Anthony Edwards lost to an ankle injury, Karl-Anthony Towns (39 points, 15 rebounds) led the Timberwolves to a gigantic comeback

When the Timberwolves' game with Charlotte was about to start Tuesday night at Target Center, the sellout crowd of 17,136 was, for the most part, standing.

They had been asked to.

By D'Angelo Russell, who was looking for a little more fan involvement. And when Russell hit a corner three to start Minnesota's scoring, the crowd roared.

By the end of the game the crowd was roaring of its own accord.

In an exciting game that belied some sloppy play from both teams, the Wolves rallied from 13 down early in the third quarter to force overtime. Then the Wolves finished the job in a 126-120 victory.

It was an amazing turnaround for a team that struggled mightily to get shots to fall.

The Wolves shot south of 40 percent overall, made just 13 of 55 three-pointers and missed 15 of 41 free throws.

But, with the crowd getting more and more frenzied, the Wolves did what they had to when it mattered.

Towns scored 12 points in the fourth quarter. His three with 1:30 left in regulation put the Wolves up a point. His three with 54.9 seconds left put them up five..

www.startribune.com

Minus Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves claw back for 126-120 overtime victory over Charlotte

Anthony Edwards left Tuesday's game with an ankle injury, and Karl-Anthony Towns (39 points, 15 rebounds) led the Timberwolves to a gigantic comeback at Target Center.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com
 

I'm glad I gave up on the Gophers in the 2nd half to watch the Wolves 2nd half. Towns was a bad man tonight. There is a big need to pass Denver or Dallas to avoid having to play the Clippers in a play-in game imo. Hope they can keep this up.
 

When the Wolves called the timeout with 9 seconds to go in regulation, I turned to my son and said “DLo is going to dribble around aimlessly for 7 seconds before hoisting a brutal shot”…alas. There’s no way that was the play they drew up, not sure why he continues to do that with last second shots.

Glad KAT bailed him out.

Howl Wolves!!
 

BleedGopher said:
When the Wolves called the timeout with 9 seconds to go in regulation, I turned to my son and said “DLo is going to dribble around aimlessly for 7 seconds before hoisting a brutal shot”…alas. There’s no way that was the play they drew up, not sure why he continues to do that with last second shots.

Glad KAT bailed him out.

Howl Wolves!!
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I don't understand the last shot hero ball culture of the NBA. Everybody in the building knew DLo was going to put up a 28 foot hope for the best shot. I'll bet if the wolves had run an actual play, Charlotte would have been stunned and they would have had a wide open look.
 

BleedGopher said:
When the Wolves called the timeout with 9 seconds to go in regulation, I turned to my son and said “DLo is going to dribble around aimlessly for 7 seconds before hoisting a brutal shot”…alas. There’s no way that was the play they drew up, not sure why he continues to do that with last second shots.

Glad KAT bailed him out.

Howl Wolves!!
Click to expand...

jamiche said:
I don't understand the last shot hero ball culture of the NBA. Everybody in the building knew DLo was going to put up a 28 foot hope for the best shot. I'll bet if the wolves had run an actual play, Charlotte would have been stunned and they would have had a wide open look.
Click to expand...

Did your eyes tell you that? ;)

Without Edwards for the entire 2nd half, Towns bailed out the whole team in that 4th Quarter. Hate hero ball myself. Though with Towns being the only one on the floor who was shooting well, the Hornets had him well covered. Guessing that, in this case, Russell was told to look for KAT, and if he couldn't get the ball to him, shoot a last second shot. Hornets knew that too. The optics were awful, but letting Charlotte get another shot in regulation would have been a bad idea.
 

Iceland12 said:
Did your eyes tell you that? ;)

Without Edwards for the entire 2nd half, Towns bailed out the whole team in that 4th Quarter. Hate hero ball myself. Though with Towns being the only one on the floor who was shooting well, the Hornets had him well covered. Guessing that, in this case, Russell was told to look for KAT, and if he couldn't get the ball to him, shoot a last second shot. Hornets knew that too. The optics were awful, but letting Charlotte get another shot in regulation would have been a bad idea.
Click to expand...
Yup. My eyes did my research for me. :)

KAT sure did bail them out last night. I was really only talking about the last shot and we see it all the time. Whether he was looking for KAT or not it was still going to be one guy dribbling the ball and putting up a shot from South Dakota. What we never see with nine seconds left is a well executed play with back screens, cuts and a shot at the rim. Even with the risk of multiple passes, it's a higher percentage play than a 28 foot shot.
 

Iceland12 said:
Did your eyes tell you that? ;)

Without Edwards for the entire 2nd half, Towns bailed out the whole team in that 4th Quarter. Hate hero ball myself. Though with Towns being the only one on the floor who was shooting well, the Hornets had him well covered. Guessing that, in this case, Russell was told to look for KAT, and if he couldn't get the ball to him, shoot a last second shot. Hornets knew that too. The optics were awful, but letting Charlotte get another shot in regulation would have been a bad idea.
Click to expand...

That is exactly what happened. It looked like DLo did want to get the ball to Towns a few times, but Charlotte knew one of those two were going to take the last shot and covered them both well. They should have tried to get someone else a touch and kick it back out, but fortunately it all worked out in the end.
 



per Shama:

The NBA trade deadline was February 10 and Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor told Sports Headliners the club almost changed its roster.

“I can say that they (the front office) were close to making a trade,” Taylor said Monday. “I don’t want to talk about the players (involved) because I just think that would be kind of a negative. But they had a couple of deals (involving)…a third team and at the last minute the other team backed out in a couple of cases.”

Taylor praised efforts by interim Wolves front office leader Sachin Gupta and his staff involving possible trades. Taylor, though, didn’t offer specifics on who will lead the basketball operations decisions after this season. “We’ll wait and see how this year goes. Again (like coach Chris Finch), he’s done a good job of communication of what’s going on.”

Gupta still holds the same title, executive VP of basketball operations, he had under Gersson Rosas who was dismissed as president in September. It was Rosas who led the construction of the present roster and hired Finch.

Gupta displayed patience in not executing a trade, resisting a change of the roster just to prove he could make a deal. Taylor also sees patience in Finch who has been the head coach for about a year. “He doesn’t get excited. He doesn’t get too worried. He’s just kind of a consistent type of a person.”


Howl Wolves!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Looks like ANT's ankle will be just fine:



Howl Wolves!!
Click to expand...

Finch:"That's bad luck. That bad ankle will keep you out of the All Star Weekend and off National Television."

Edwards" "It's a miracle. I'm healed!"

😊
 
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BleedGopher said:
per Shama:

The NBA trade deadline was February 10 and Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor told Sports Headliners the club almost changed its roster.

“I can say that they (the front office) were close to making a trade,” Taylor said Monday. “I don’t want to talk about the players (involved) because I just think that would be kind of a negative. But they had a couple of deals (involving)…a third team and at the last minute the other team backed out in a couple of cases.”

Taylor praised efforts by interim Wolves front office leader Sachin Gupta and his staff involving possible trades. Taylor, though, didn’t offer specifics on who will lead the basketball operations decisions after this season. “We’ll wait and see how this year goes. Again (like coach Chris Finch), he’s done a good job of communication of what’s going on.”

Gupta still holds the same title, executive VP of basketball operations, he had under Gersson Rosas who was dismissed as president in September. It was Rosas who led the construction of the present roster and hired Finch.

Gupta displayed patience in not executing a trade, resisting a change of the roster just to prove he could make a deal. Taylor also sees patience in Finch who has been the head coach for about a year. “He doesn’t get excited. He doesn’t get too worried. He’s just kind of a consistent type of a person.”


Howl Wolves!!
Click to expand...
What the hell is wrong with this man? Even if you consider this rather benign and acknowledge that names aren't mentioned, he states that a trade(s) was close to happening and would have happened if the other teams hadn't backed out of the deals. Why? Why would you say this? The only statement that an owner or GM should make is something along the lines of, "we had some discussions, but we didn't like what was being offered". No deals were done Glen, so what's the purpose of planting in any player's head the possibility that he was on the brink of being shipped out, particularly in a season where we've seen the first baby steps towards success and chemistry in what feels like forever.
 

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