Minnesota leaves LA with a 94–88 win. Road wins matter. Stacking wins matter. The defense showed up for long stretches, and the right lineup finished the game.
At the same time, that middle stretch is still a real concern.
The Wolves led 44–38 at halftime after holding the Clippers to 35 percent shooting and forcing 9 turnovers. Rudy had already anchored the paint, and the defensive intensity was there.
Then it happened again.
LA went on an 8–0 run early in the third quarter, and Minnesota got outscored 30–19 in the quarter. The larger issue continues to be that late second quarter into third quarter window. That stretch has been a problem all season. The offense stalls. No one gets downhill. It turns into chuck threes and live ball turnovers. It is not just the bench during those minutes either. It is the starting rotation and the bench effort together.
Against a fully healthy contender, that stretch loses you games.
Donte played with consistent effort. He finished with 18 points, 4 assists, and 4 threes. Even during the stretches where the offense stalled and the energy dipped, he was still competing every possession.
Jaden gave us 12 points and 7 rebounds and stayed active defensively. He was steady late.
Rudy finished with 13 rebounds and 3 blocks. The rim protection was real. Minnesota had 8 blocks as a team and controlled the defensive glass in the moments that mattered.
Naz was important. 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks in 29 minutes. His energy showed up on both ends.
Clutch time was the best stretch of the night. Finch went with Donte, Ayo, Ant, Jaden, and Rudy to close. I like that lineup for their energy and defensive pressure. Offensively in clutch time it is space out and let Ant cook.
Anthony Edwards finished with 31 points and 5 assists on 12 of 24 shooting. He carried the offense when it needed it and attacked the paint instead of settling. Late in the fourth, he rose up in front of the bench over two defenders and drilled a three. That is his kill shot.
Julius Randle had 4 points on 1 of 10 shooting. He did have 6 assists, but the scoring inefficiency during that third quarter stretch hurt. If this team is going to win at the highest level, those minutes have to be more reliable.
The Clippers were missing key pieces. This game should not have required that much late shot making. Minnesota shot 43 percent overall and 30 percent from three. Too many possessions turned into bail out threes instead of paint touches.
They closed it and that’s what matters. But the standard is eliminating that predictable late second through third quarter collapse. The win counted but the habits still need to be cleaned up.
Leave a Reply