Timberwolves news: Gobert injury status, McDaniels’ goal, Naz Reid’s big night
By Will Eudy
The Minnesota Timberwolves picked up a huge win Monday night over the Dallas Mavericks, pushing their winning streak to three games. Their resurgence has given fans a new hope that the team may finally be turning things around.
The Wolves’ improved play comes in the midst of both their starting big men missing time. While Karl-Anthony Towns has been out since late November with a calf injury, Rudy Gobert has now been absent for Minnesota’s last three games in a row. With those two out, we have seen some dazzling performances from Anthony Edwards.
The Timberwolves play their second of two home contests with the Mavericks on Wednesday, before a four-game road trip to Boston, Miami, New Orleans, and Milwaukee. Without a Christmas game on their schedule, Minnesota will be able to get two days of rest before heading to face the Heat.
Timberwolves news:
- Rudy Gobert was originally listed as questionable for Monday night’s game against the Mavericks, and was later officially ruled out with a left ankle sprain still bothering him. Timberwolves fans will want to keep an eye on the injury report, as Gobert is sure to be needed on the upcoming four-game road trip.
- HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto recently released his interview with Jaden McDaniels. In the interview, McDaniels talks about his defensive versatility and states that he thinks he can be one of the best two-way players in the NBA. He also mentions that he modeled his game after players like Pascal Siakam and received a lot of defensive coaching from Patrick Beverley.
- D’Angelo Russell, after being a game-time decision against Dallas on Monday, started in the second night of a back-to-back. It was his roughest outing of the month so far with just nine points, but it is a good sign that he is not showing any lingering symptoms of injury.
- Naz Reid had arguably the best game of his professional career Monday night against Dallas. Filling in as the Timberwolves’ starting center, Reid tied Anthony Edwards with a team-high 27 points and 13 rebounds, while shooting 11-for-19 from the field. With Reid and Edwards playing together, Minnesota has a +9.9 net rating this season.
- Austin Rivers was candid in his appreciation for Naz Reid’s game after Monday’s win, stating he called his dad during training camp to express his awe.
Austin Rivers said he had no idea Naz Reid was this good when he got to Minnesota, but said he called his dad after the first day of training camp and said, "yo, this dude is like a big time player, like a starting 5".
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) December 20, 2022
News from around the NBA:
- Damian Lillard officially supassed Clyde Drexler as the leading scorer in Portland Trail Blazers history Monday night, scoring his 18,040th point for the franchise.
- Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray made his return to the court against the Orlando Magic after missing five games with an ankle injury.
- Monday marked the first time since the 1976-77 NBA season that both the Knicks and Nets have win streaks of six games or more simultaneously.
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