Minnesota Timberwolves: Player grades from win over Dallas Mavericks
By Ben Beecken
The Minnesota Timberwolves finished a difficult season on an extremely high note on Sunday night, blowing out the Dallas Mavericks.
86. Final. 121. 79. 136
The Minnesota Timberwolves made the decision to compete at the end of the season instead of tanking. And compete they did, winning seven of their final 12 games and generally playing well over the final couple months.
Yes, the Wolves slipped to No. 6 in the reverse standings and will only have a 27.6 percent chance of keeping their top-three protected pick. But they also proved that the current iteration of this roster can, at the very least, be competitive at a legitimate level.
It was clear that the Wolves wanted to put an exclamation point on the season with a big win over Dallas. The Mavericks were playing for a chance at the No. 5 seed but ultimately waved the white flag late in the game as they were already guaranteed the No. 6 spot and were going to avoid the play-in tournament regardless.
The Wolves came out ready to play and dominated the middle stages of the game. It was nearly the opposite of Saturday’s disappointing loss to Boston; the Wolves controlled this contest and nearly led wire-to-wire.
Let’s go ahead and get into player grades from the season finale.
Minnesota Timberwolves Player Grades vs. Dallas Mavericks
A-. Karl-Anthony Towns had a much quieter game than his high-usage performance on Saturday against the Celtics, but he still managed to put up 23 points on only 12 shots due to a fantastic 10-of-11 showing at the free throw line. He also pulled down nine rebounds and pitched in five assists and two steals.. Center. Minnesota Timberwolves. KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS
A-. Anthony Edwards had a weird game, chucking unsuccessfully at the start but heating up in a big way in the second half. He ended up leading the team in scoring with 30 points (10-21 FG, 5-9 3P, 5-5 FT) and added four assists and two blocks but somehow managed to pull down exactly zero rebounds in 38 minutes.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves. ANTHONY EDWARDS
A-. D’Angelo Russell had a much better game than he did on Saturday against Boston, putting up a double-double of 23 points and 10 assists. He shot 8-of-19 from the field and 3-of-9 from 3-point range and added three rebounds and three steals. D’Lo was active on both ends of the floor and passed the ball extremely well and continues to work extremely well with both Towns and Edwards.. Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. D'ANGELO RUSSELL
Minnesota Timberwolves. JADEN MCDANIELS. A. Jaden McDaniels started at the 3 and had arguably his best offensive game of the season. He was extremely aggressive off the dribble early and ultimately finished with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting and 3-of-7 from outside the arc. He added three rebounds, two assists and a block and was a big part of the Wolves’ slowing down Luka Doncic.. Forward
A. Jarred Vanderbilt started between McDaniels and Towns and was Good Vando from the get-go, swiping a pair of steals in the first quarter. He finished with seven points, 12 rebounds, three steals and an assist and was a team-best +15. Vanderbilt certainly has a future in the league, even if it’s as an energy guy/fourth big off the bench.. Big. Minnesota Timberwolves. JARRED VANDERBILT
Naz Reid had a shockingly efficient night, scoring 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting including three made threes. He also pulled down five rebounds in 17 minutes. Reid’s close to the season has been incredibly encouraging as he’s shown the ability to both play backup minutes at the 5 and play for stretches at the 4 alongside Towns.. Big. Minnesota Timberwolves. NAZ REID. A
RICKY RUBIO. B. Ricky Rubio came off the bench and scored just two points in 20 minutes but dished out seven assists and helped pace the second unit. While his second half of the season was much stronger than the first three months, it still wasn’t quite the season that the Wolves envisioned when they brought him back to the Twin Cities. However, it’s clear that the impact that Rubio has had on this young Wolves squad is real.. Point Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves
Other Minnesota Timberwolves Players
Jordan McLaughlin had a great night, scoring seven points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting and adding three assists and a steal in 11 minutes with zero turnovers.
Josh Okogie came off the bench and did a great job in his time guarding Doncic. He played 21 minutes and pitched in six points, two rebounds, two steals, an assist, and a block.
Juancho Hernangomez had another quiet game, putting up only two points, two assists, and one rebound in 11 minutes.
dark. Next. Garnett talks Wolves at HOF enshrinement
Next up for the Minnesota Timberwolves
That’s a wrap, folks. Here at Dunking With Wolves, we’re going to move on to a ton of draft coverage as well as spend some time recapping the season for each individual player.