The Minnesota Timberwolves knew they needed this road victory after losing what should have been a win Saturday night at home vs the Grizzlies. Anthony Edwards came back strong after a poor outing last game, he scored 20 of his 41 points in the 4th quarter. Earlier Monday Edwards was fined $50,000 by the NBA for an obscene gesture directed at an official in Saturday’s loss in Memphis.
Edwards also had seven assists, and 6 rebounds to go along with his 41 points. He shot 14-25 from the field and 8-8 from the free-throw line. Julius Randle had a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Kyle Kuzma scored 22 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. Jordan Poole added 20 points. Washington has lost seven straight games and almost gave up 400 points in the last three games.
Overall Takeaways: Timberwolves
This wasn’t the cleanest performance. The Wolves turned the ball over 13 times in the first half and briefly trailed the Wizards in the first half. It was the Wolves’ fourth win in the last five games and third consecutive road victory. The offense improved when it mattered the most, only turning the ball over six times after the break.
Overall Takeaways: Wizards
Washington had a strong 3-point shooting game. They finished shooting 42.5% from beyond the arc (17 of 40) with all five starters sinking at least two 3s.
They turned the Wolves over 10 times in this game but were only able to score 12 points off those Wolves’ mistakes. Washington got killed on the boards 53-34 with 14 of those rebounds coming on the offensive side for the Wolves.
Key stats of the game
Minnesota more than doubled up Washington in free throw attempts, 31-15. The Wizards are the 30th-ranked team in DRTG allowing the Wolves to shoot 49.4% from the field.
Wizards Continue to Struggle
Coming into tonight’s game Washington is 6-32 and has the worst record in the NBA.
They’ve lost 6 straight- their 8th 6+ game losing streak in the last two years.
They are 30th in ORTG & 30th in DRTG- the last team to do that was Phoenix seven years ago.
Their -13.6 NetRTG is the lowest since 7-59 Charlotte Bobcats in 11/12
What’s Next for Wolves and Wizards?
The Wolves will be at home Wednesday night to face Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors have struggled as of late losing 4 of their last 5 games. Steph Curry has been in and out of the lineup as of late. Curry is averaging 22.6 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game. He’s shooting under his career average from three-point range but still a respectable 41.1%.
The Wizards will be at home Thursday night to face the up-and-down Phoenix Suns. The Suns like the Wolves have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA this year. They have won three straight, and it looks like with a full lineup back they might be ready to make a big run up the Western Conference standings. They rely heavily on Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Durant has been shooting the ball well this year, a career-high 51.9% from the floor this year.
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