All Things 2023-2024 Minnesota Timberwolves In-Season Thread

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that's the thing about the Wolves. you start to doubt them, and they turn in a solid performance.

So then you start to believe in them again, and it's almost guaranteed that they will turn in another stinker of a performance.

If they can play like this for 3 or 4 games in a row, I may decide to start watching again.
 


The Wolves are tied for 5th worst in PPG scored in the NBA but they lead the league defensively in PPG allowed at 100.4 which is four (4) points better than the next closest team.

McDaniels completely locked down Murray but what Rudy is doing in the paint defensively has been incredible. Defense is scheme and effort so that should continue. If we improve our shooting, we should be in a very good spot.

Naz is arguably the best contract in the league and allows us to move Towns if a young PG becomes available (my dream PG would be Garland from CLE). We need more from Shake, NAW and Brown but our Top 7 can play with anyone.

My main concern continues to be what I perceive as a weak constitution from the team collectively. Less emotion and more lunch pail mentality would do the Wolves a lot of good. If we had Popovich, I'd sincerely consider us a Finals contender.
 





Ant took over in OT. Two threes and a pull up midrange....three possessions in a row.
 

Hell of a game and hell of an atmosphere. Unfortunate KAT was not great and they stink at shooting free throws. ANT was good in OT.

Wonder if Glenn is going to renegotiate the sale price now.
 

McDaniels with the dagger. Wild that this is only the second T-Wolves win over the Celtics since the 2016 season....although I know they typically only play a couple games a year against one another.
 



Seemed like playoff type atmosphere...have to watch the replay
 


Wolves win 114-109 in OT. Towns and Edwards were in foul trouble most of the game. Towns fouled out and was pretty awful but Edwards came back in the 4th and lead them to a victory over a team that came in with the best record in the league.

Edwards had 38pts, 9 RBs and 7 assists. McDaniels had 20, Reid had 14, Gobert also had 14 and 12 RBs to go with it.

Not pretty, but a pretty great win.:drink:

www.espn.com

Timberwolves 114-109 Celtics (Nov 6, 2023) Box Score - ESPN

Box score for the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Boston Celtics NBA game from November 6, 2023 on ESPN. Includes all points, rebounds and steals stats.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 

If they could trade KAT for a player who could put the ball on the floor and play respectable defense, the sky would be the limit.
 




What a fun game. It was 103-103 when KAT fouled out. Ant immediately led them on a 9-2 run, which pretty much sealed the game.
 

kg21 said:
If they could trade KAT for a player who could put the ball on the floor and play respectable defense, the sky would be the limit.
Click to expand...
Trade Towns before you can't! It's not a coincidence they played better after he fouled out.
 


The view from Boston. This is just highlights. Full story is at the link.

www.bostonherald.com

Celtics unable to overcome Anthony Edwards’ 38 points in first loss of season

The Celtics suffered their first loss of the season with an overtime defeat to the Timberwolves as Anthony Edwards took over late.
www.bostonherald.com www.bostonherald.com

Instead, they dropped their first game of the season with a 114-109 loss to the Timberwolves.

Edwards proved to be the difference.

“He’s a great player,” C’s coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters in Minnesota. “He’s gonna make shots. I thought he made some difficult ones.”

The Celtics’ offense went stale against Minnesota, the league’s top defense by rating to start the season, especially in crunch time. But they still had plenty of chances to win.

Edwards picked up his fifth foul with 10:49 to go in the fourth, but it never mattered. The C’s tried to attack him, but Edwards stood tall and never got his sixth foul. Then the young Wolves star erupted in overtime. The Celtics led 105-103 when Tatum’s sixth turnover of the night on an Edwards steal led to Mike Conley’s go-ahead 3-pointer. Then the Celtics kept missing on bad offensive possession, and Edwards made three consecutive shots – all while Mazzulla refused to call a timeout – as the Wolves ran away with the game.

Mazzulla later said he didn’t want to call a timeout in order to save them inside the final minute. He didn’t think it was necessary to call one even though the Celtics’ offense turned stagnant.

The Celtics cut it to three with 36 seconds left on Tatum’s steal and dunk, but McDaniels replied with a jumper on Minnesota’s next possession to clinch the victory.

The Celtics forced 23 Minnesota turnovers, but the Wolves overcame it in part because the C’s committed 16 themselves. Though Tatum and Brown had their moments, neither could match Edwards late because of the Wolves’ suffocating defense.

“Our opponents are always going to bring the best out of us,” Mazzulla told reporters. “I thought we competed at a high level. I thought their defensive toughness outmatched our offensive toughness at times, but I thought both teams played a really good game for Game 5 of the year.

“Their overall pressure bothered us on the Offensive end, so that's a good learning point for us"

But the Celtics couldn’t quite take advantage in that third period with Edwards out of the game in foul trouble. The game was tied at 66 with 7:07 left in the period when Edwards went to the bench with his fourth foul, but the Celtics ultimately trailed by five entering the fourth despite Edwards missing those seven minutes.

Edwards eventually took over in crunch time. But Mazzulla thought the Celtics defended him well for the most part.

“That small stretch, he got loose kind of in transition and we gave him the one thing that he’s great at, which are those shake and race threes,” Mazzulla said. “So you have to be able to take those away in the flow of the game, and I thought we did a good job taking away his tendencies the majority of the game but he’s a hell of a player. He’s gonna make tough shots.”

“I probably wouldn’t be as open-minded about a loss like that last year as I am this year, and that just comes with time,” he said.

“That was awesome, though. What a game. That was sick.”
 
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This week's Power Rankings from The Athletic.

theathletic.com

NBA Power Rankings: Wolves jump to brink of contention; 30 players we love so far

Two weeks in, we don't have a ton of answers to what we've seen this season. But we have a few.
theathletic.com theathletic.com

6

Minnesota Timberwolves​


team-logo-78-300x300.png

22
Last Rank
Player we’re loving so far: Anthony Edwards. We’re looking at roughly a 27-points-per-100 possessions difference in net rating when he is on the floor versus off it. Edwards has continued his strong play from the FIBA World Cup and applying it to the NBA. His jump shot is lethal right now, and he seems unstoppable going to the rim. His playmaking needs to improve, but he’s clearly taking a leap.
Why here? The Wolves look really good. Two massive wins over Denver and Boston.
Key Stats
Record
4-2
Offensive Rating
109.3 (18th)
Defensive Rating
100.7 (1st)
Net Rating
8.6
Wins
Nuggets
110-89
Jazz
123-95
Celtics
114-109 OT
 


4-2 Wolves host the 4-3 Pelicans tonight. Pelicans will be without Williamson and C.J. McCollum and Minnesota will be without McLaughlin. Sounds like Jordan will be out about 4 weeks.

New Orleans Pelicans

NAME, POSSTATUSDATE
CJ McCollum
SG		OUTNov 5
Jose Alvarado
PG		OUTNov 7
Herbert Jones
SF		GTDNov 7
Zion Williamson
PF		OUTNov 8

i
Minnesota Timberwolves

NAME, POSSTATUSDATE
Jordan McLaughlin
PG		OUTNov 7
 

ESPN Power Rankings has Wolves jump from 20 to 6(?!). Though that 20th rankings was the afternoon before they beat Denver.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves
2023-24 record: 4-2

  • Previous ranking: 20
    gn-arrow.png
  • Next games: vs. NO (Nov. 8), @ SA (Nov. 10), @ GS (Nov. 12), @ GS (Nov. 14)
Anthony Edwards put up 38 points, including eight in overtime, as the Timberwolves handed the Celtics their first loss. Minnesota has won three straight, owns the league's best defense and is 4-0 at home for the first time since 2002-03. Edwards is playing like a star, averaging 28.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists on 52% shooting. Owners of the NBA's toughest schedule so far, the Wolves round out this road trip against the Pelicans on Wednesday. -- Jamal Collier


www.espn.com

NBA Power Rankings: James Harden has entered the chat, and the Wolves make a big leap

We are just three weeks into the 2023-24 NBA season and a lot has happened, including a James Harden season debut and a massive early-season leap in the rankings.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 

Iceland12 said:
4-2 Wolves host the 4-3 Pelicans tonight. Pelicans will be without Williamson and C.J. McCollum and Minnesota will be without McLaughlin. Sounds like Jordan will be out about 4 weeks.

New Orleans Pelicans

NAME, POSSTATUSDATE
CJ McCollum
SG		OUTNov 5
Jose Alvarado
PG		OUTNov 7
Herbert Jones
SF		GTDNov 7
Zion Williamson
PF		OUTNov 8

i
Minnesota Timberwolves

NAME, POSSTATUSDATE
Jordan McLaughlin
PG		OUTNov 7
Click to expand...

The Wolves teams of the last few years would find a way to blow this game tonight with so many out on NO.

This years Wolves team needs to continue to prove it's different and blow these guys out.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
The Wolves teams of the last few years would find a way to blow this game tonight with so many out on NO.

This years Wolves team needs to continue to prove it's different and blow these guys out.
Click to expand...

Wolves 72 Pelicans 44 at the Half.
 

Wolves win 122 -101. Finch started emptying the bench with 4:54 left in the game with the Wolves up 113-86.

Edwards only had 9 in the 1st Half but ended the game as the leading scorer with 26. He had 8 assists and 3 steals too.

Towns had 23, Gobert had 17pts and 21 rebounds.

They start their road trip down in San Antonio Friday then 2 games against the Warriors in San Fransisco, single games in Phoenix and New Orleans before coming home on 11/20 to face the Knicks.


www.espn.com

Timberwolves 122-101 Pelicans (Nov 8, 2023) Box Score - ESPN

Box score for the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. New Orleans Pelicans NBA game from November 8, 2023 on ESPN. Includes all points, rebounds and steals stats.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 



"Timberwolves observers have been witnesses to two specific phenomena over the years, both of which are equal in their damage:

*The Wolves start to play well and build up hope leading into a marquee matchup in front of a loud home crowd, only to come up short and lose. Fans then say "same old Wolves," and their enthusiasm is dulled a little.

*The Wolves defeat a team in a marquee matchup, everyone gets excited about the possibilities, and then they lay an absolute egg in the very next game and lose to a bad team. Fans then say "same old Wolves," and their enthusiasm is dulled a little.

Those dents to the base add up like micro-aggressions, and jaded fans go into self-preservation mode where the burden of proof that something has actually changed is greater and any contrary evidence is easy to cherry-pick.

Prove it. Prove it again. Then prove it again. OK, now prove it one more time. Is it really different?

And, well, it feels like it is right now?"

www.startribune.com

Why the Timberwolves are flying high: Five home games. Five wins. Five sellouts.

Things couldn't be any better this season for the Wolves at Target Center, with the team building the sort of momentum it has lacked in previous seasons.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com
 

Dane Moore

@DaneMooreNBA

8:52 AM · Nov 10, 2023

The last 10 seasons of Timberwolves defense...

2014-15: 30th
2015-16: 27th *hire Tom Thibodeau to teach KAT/Wiggins/LaVine defense 2016-17:

2016-17: 26th *Thibs gives up on teaching KAT/Wiggins/LaVine defense, trades LaVine for Jimmy Butler and signs Taj Gibson

2017-18: 23rd *Jimmy quits and Thibs gets fired

2018-19: 24th *Hire Rosas, who makes Vanterpool D coordinator -- still playing KAT in drop, literally making their defensive slogan "solid is enough"

2019-20: 20th

2020-21: 28th *turns out solid was not enough. Hire Finch, who finally stops playing KAT in drop, begin starting Vanderbilt, McDaniels and Beverley

2021-22: 13th *acquire Gobert

2022-23: 8th *stop playing Gobert exclusively in a drop

2023-24: 1st
 

Wolves won tonight, but I just can't stop thinking how this Wembayama guy is going to destroy this league. 29 points tonight with 5 blocks, and he's 19 years old.
 

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