The Minnesota Timberwolves are lastly on the board within the Western Convention Finals.
After two brutal losses to open up the collection, the Minnesota Timberwolves rose to the event, retaliating in opposition to the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder with a dominant 143-101 win in Sport 3.
Limiting OKC to their worst recreation of all the season, Anthony Edwards dropped a serious assertion because the Minnesota celebrity scored 30 factors, additionally including 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.
In the meantime, Julius Randle efficiently bounced again from his nightmare Sport 2, ending with a robust 24-point efficiency.
One of many keys to the Timberwolves turnaround was a defensive masterclass, limiting the Thunder to only 101 factors in an inefficient 40.7 p.c area aim line (31.8 p.c from threes).
For Anthony Edwards, it’s merely all credit score to Jaden McDaniels, who confirmed why voters made the incorrect determination to not vote him on this season’s All-Defensive Groups.
“It begins with Jaden McDaniels,” Edwards stated in postgame about Minnesota’s elite Sport 3 protection.
“He didn’t make an All-Defensive crew, which is loopy, that’s on the individuals who vote.
“However tonight, he confirmed once more why he ought to be on it. We simply comply with his lead on protection.
“If he comes out pressuring the ball, all of us comply with go well with. We go as he goes on the defensive finish.”
After making it to final yr’s All-Defensive Second Crew, McDaniels got here up brief this time round, being ranked sixteenth in general voting.
The snub got here regardless of him averaging a career-best 1.3 steals with 0.9 blocks. He additionally performed for all the 82-game season for Minnesota, absolutely embracing the position of being their perimeter defensive stalwart that contributed to the crew’s top-six protection league-wide.
Past his 10-point show in Sport 3, he helped to decelerate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to only 14 factors from 4-13 capturing.
He additionally didn’t fall to the polarizing free-throw ways of the MVP. The Thunder celebrity solely had 4 journeys to the road after a staggering 29 within the first two video games of the collection.
Being omitted from the NBA’s All-Defensive Crew can solely function gas for McDaniels to assist the Timberwolves’ quest to defeat the Thunder and advance to the NBA Finals.
