Timberwolves 124, Trail Blazers 121
Minnesota beat Portland on the road LATE last night for us east coast and central Timezone Wolves fans. It was tight all night with 15 lead changes and it felt like we were playing with fire at times. Still, we got it done. I love that we won and I love even more what Jaden McDaniels looked like.
He finished with 29 points on 12 of 16 shooting, hit five threes, and added three steals and five blocks. In the first quarter alone he had 11 points, four blocks and a steal. He set the tone immediately. A couple of those blocks made it look like he still thought he was playing the 5 like he did Sunday. He was flying in from nowhere protecting the rim. He was on demon time defensively and offensively. Portland felt him every possession.
If this version of Jaden is real and consistent, there’s no doubt in my mind we will win a championship.
Anthony Edwards had 34 and did what stars do. He had 25 by halftime and kept bailing out possessions when the offense got sticky. There were stretches where it felt like we were relying on Ant making ridiculous shots. It worked tonight. The question is whether that balance holds up against elite teams.
The turnovers remain a real issue. We telegraph passes when the ball sticks. When we try to swing it, it can feel slow and predictable. Portland turned that into transition offense. Minnesota gave up 24 points off turnovers. That is not championship level execution.
The opening stretch showed the same problem. We could not get inside cleanly. Everything was crowded or blocked. The threes were falling, which saved the offense early, but we were not consistently generating paint touches. Living on iso and three point variance is not a formula you trust in May.
Defensively the activity was real. Minnesota finished with 14 steals and 8 blocks. Rudy grabbed 19 rebounds and you could see Portland hesitate around the rim when he was there. That presence changes shot selection even when it does not show up in highlights.
Donte DiVincenzo had 19 and hit five threes. His hustle steal that led to a TSJ transition dunk was one of the best sequences of the night. I have been waiting all year to see more of Terrence Shannon Jr. running the floor like that. When he gets space in transition, the game speeds up in our favor.
The third quarter featured an 8 to 0 run where Jaden knocked down back to back threes and the Wolves stacked stops. That is the formula defend, rebound, make the simple read, and take good shots. When Jaden is aggressive as a scorer and still disruptive everywhere defensively, he looks like a legitimate second option. If the handle and decision making continue to tighten, you are looking at a two way force at the highest level.
At one point I genuinely wondered if a quadruple double is in his future at some point in his career. That is the kind of stat profile he flirts with when he is locked in.
This was not a completely clean win. The free throw gap, the turnovers, and the offensive stagnation will get exposed by better teams. You cannot live off Ant hero ball and hot shooting forever.
We are holding this team to championship standards now. Nights like this show what is possible. The defensive identity looks real. The decision making still needs tightening.
But if Jaden keeps playing like he did in Portland, I truly believe we are winning a championship.
Leave a Reply