Player grades from Minnesota Timberwolves’ win over San Antonio Spurs
By Ben Beecken
The Minnesota Timberwolves snapped their seven-game losing streak with a win over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday evening.
88. 29. Final. 96. 86
The Minnesota Timberwolves played well on Saturday night and had a chance to top the San Antonio Spurs in overtime.
Instead, the losing streak ballooned to seven. To make matters worse prior to Sunday’s re-match, Karl-Anthony Towns was ruled out as the Wolves try to ease him back into action.
On the other side of the ledger, the Wolves got Josh Okogie back on Sunday, and the Spurs were without DeMar DeRozan due to personal reasons.
As it turned out, the Wolves played well enough defensively to slow down a punchless San Antonio offense.
After a massive first half from Lonnie Walker, he went cold in the second half and the Spurs relied almost exclusively on Patty Mills and LaMarcus Aldridge, who combined to shoot just 16-of-40 from the field and 4-for-16 from beyond the arc.
The Wolves had an inconsistent night offensively. D’Angelo Russell carried them through the first quarter while Malik Beasley took over the offense during the middle stages of the game. Down the stretch, the Wolves used a balanced attack with both Russell and Ricky Rubio on the floor.
The Spurs continued to struggle offensively, and the Wolves did just enough defensively and on the glass to put the game away late.
Okogie and Jarred Vanderbilt were vital to Minnesota’s defensive success in crunch-time. Combined with Rubio and Towns, the Wolves have the makings of a strong defensive unit for late-game situations.
Minnesota Timberwolves Player Grades
D'ANGELO RUSSELL. B+. D’Angelo Russell again had a strong start to the game. He wasn’t ultra-efficient but hit some big shots late in the game. Russell led the Wolves in scoring with 27 points on 9-of-21 shooting, including 4-of-7 from behind the arc. He also shot 5-for-6 from the free throw line as he continues to up his drives into the paint. Russell added five rebounds and and five assists.. Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves
Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves. MALIK BEASLEY. A-. Malik Beasley had a second consecutive strong game. He kept the Wolves afloat during the middle stages of the game and was solid down the stretch. For the game, Beasley had 24 points (9-18 FG, 3-6 3P, 3-3 FT), and three rebounds. He didn’t contribute in any other areas of the box score, but was active defensively once again.
B. Naz Reid came off the bench again in Towns absence as Ed Davis slide into the starting lineup. Reid had another solid performance, putting up 11 points and seven rebounds and playing hard defensively. While his mobility isn’t quite what Towns can provide, his length can still disrupt things on defense and his ability to stretch the floor can at least replicate a portion of what KAT brings.. Center. Minnesota Timberwolves. NAZ REID
A-. Ricky Rubio had a strong performance, helping the second unit hold serve in the second quarter and then playing a major part of the crunch-time lineup down the stretch. He finished with eight points, six assists, and three steals, and two rebounds and looked more like himself defensively.. Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. RICKY RUBIO
Big. Minnesota Timberwolves. JARRED VANDERBILT. B+. Jarred Vanderbilt got into the game before the end of the first quarter for the first time this year and was again a revelation. While he only scored five points on four shot attempts, Vanderbilt pulled down eight rebounds in only 19 minutes of playing time and only committed one turnover. Down the stretch, Vanderbilt was fantastic defensively. He’s officially overtaken Jake Layman in the Wolves’ rotation and will now be battling with Okogie and Reid for playing time.
JUANCHO HERNANGOMEZ. B. Juancho Hernangomez had a terrible start to the game, air-balling two 3-pointers in the first quarter and struggling defensively. He was good late in the game, however, hitting a huge 3-pointer and cleaning up on the glass. Hernangomez finished with seven points, eight rebounds, and two assists with a team-best plus/minus of +16.. Forward. Minnesota Timberwolves
Other Minnesota Timberwolves Players
Jarrett Culver, and Ed Davis were the other starters in this game, but they played fairly inconsequential roles in the result.
Davis had some solid minutes with the starting group at the beginning of the first and third quarters and had six points and six rebounds in 18 minutes. Culver was good defensively once again but has appeared to have back-slid again on the offensive end of the floor. He shot just 1-of-5 from the floor but did contribute four assists, three rebounds, and a block.
Josh Okogie was fantastic in his return, scoring six points and grabbing four rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench. He was 3-of-3 shooting inside the arc and 0-of-2 on 3-point attempts; his jumper looked shaky and uncomfortable but it was clear that he was up to the challenge of taking on the toughest defensive assignment. Having Okogie back and being able to slide Culver onto a bit of an easier cover will make a huge difference for the Wolves moving forward.
Anthony Edwards had what was probably the worst game of his career. He was scoreless and missed all eight of his shot attempts from the field. Edwards did have six rebounds but also committed two turnovers and was generally out of control on offense.
dark. Next. Jarred Vanderbilt should be starting for the Wolves
Up next for the Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves will now enjoy two off-days at home until consecutive games against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday and Friday.