The Minnesota Timberwolves arrived home for the opening tipoff to face the Miami Heat at Target Center, but the real Timberwolves did not arrive until the third quarter. By the end of the second quarter, the Timberwolves have fallen behind 13 points, by the score of 60-47. The Timberwolves had closed to within one point of the Heat with 7:37 remaining in Q2, by Miami Heat shooting guard Max Strus and power forward Haywood Highsmith hit multiple three-pointers to lead the Heat on a 17-3 run.
But when the Timberwolves returned to their home court in the third quarter, it was the Timberwolves who got red hot, and the Heat who cooled off considerably. Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards scored 10 of his 22 points in the third quarter, and he was joined by teammates Jaden McDaniels (10 points) and Jordan McLaughlin (nine points).
That allowed the Timberwolves to take the lead, 84-79. The Heat rallied back to tie the score in the fourth quarter, 99-99, but the Timberwolves got a field goal from point guard D’Angelo Russell, who did not have one of his better games, to retake the lead with 2:28 remaining. From that point on, it was four free throws by Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert that closed out the scoring for the Timberwolves.
So who were the stars of the North in this one?
The stars come out over Minnesota
III: Backup point guard Jordan McLaughlin is becoming quite good at coming off the bench and sparking the Minnesota Timberwolves, and this game was no exception.
Timberwolves best basketball being fueled by Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Jordan McLaughlin
— Jace frederick (@JaceFrederick) November 22, 2022
It's the playoffs all over again
In a game in which starting PG D’Angelo Russell scored just three points, and was the only Timberwolves starter with a +/1 in negative territory (-2), McLaughlin ignited the Timberwolves’ offense with 12 points in just 16 minutes. When points were tough to come by, McLaughlin hit on four of five perimeter shots, preventing the other Timberwolves shooters, who were largely missing, from losing this one.
II: Small forward Jaden McDaniels had another impressive outing. Not only was his defense felt on the basketball court, but his 18 points were the third most scored by the Timberwolves on the night. McDaniels also had a hot hand from beyond the perimeter, scoring on three of his six treys, many of his shots falling when the Timberwolves needed them to do so, in the third quarter.
I: Shooting guard Anthony Edwards had a very impressive showing. He was the second-best scorer for the Minnesota Timberwolves with 22 points, led the team with four steals, pulled down seven rebounds, and even handed out four assists. It was Edwards who took the basketball court at the beginning of the third quarter with a smoldering intensity that lit his teammates on fire as well.
Edwards is no longer just improving his game, solely. Now, ANT-man is improving the performance of the players around him as well.
Bonus: Minnesota Timberwolves’ power forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns may have faded a bit after halftime, but his heroics kept the Minnesota Timberwolves in this game until his teammates could find their range. He led the team in scoring with 25 points, was running up on rebounds with eight, and even led the team with assists with nine.
The win extended the Minnesota Timberwolves’ current winning streak to four. The win at Target Center also evened the team’s record at home with a record of 5-5. Best of all, the Timberwolves are now over .500 for the first time in the month of November 2022.
The Timberwolves next travel to face the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, November 23, 2022, with a 6:00 pm CT tipoff. The Heat return home to host the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, November 23, 2022, with a 6:30 pm CT tipoff. The Timberwolves are now in fourth place in the NBA Northwest Division, but trail the division-leading Utah Jazz (12-7) by just two games.