Timberwolves squander Slo Mo’s Triple Double in heartbreaker

The Minnesota Timberwolves may not be winning more than their share of basketball games recently. But the efforts of power forward Kyle Anderson certainly deserve to get more victories than losses. Affectionately known as Slo-Mo due to his proficiency with the slow-motion Euro step when driving to the basket, Anderson is one of the bright spots on a Timberwolves roster that has, even now, remained a bit of an enigma.

On paper, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a great roster, one that should win two out of every three games. But theory is not always reality, and this team continues to struggle against beatable teams.

When the Utah Jazz (22-24) visited Target Center, the Minnesota Timberwolves had the opportunity to finally surpass the .500 mark on the season, lay claim to a coveted NBA Western Conference Playoff berth, and ascend to anchor themselves among the Top-6 teams, positioned perfectly for a run at a Top-5 spot.

But then the Utah Jazz happened.

Timberwolves Kyle Anderson’s triple-double was not enough

Don’t blame PF Kyle Anderson, a free agent signing who is worth his weight in gold for the Timberwolves right now. With the withdrawal of D’Angelo Russell from the team’s floor general role, Slo-Mo has taken over as the team’s point forward. To date, he has done an admirable job. But against the Jazz, he was damned near perfect.

Kyle Anderson put up just the second triple-double of his NBA career. A triple-double is an event when an NBA player puts up triple digits in three separate statistical categories on the same night.  The most difficult are those triple-doubles that involve either steals or blocks. But all are rare. In Anderson’s case, he scored 13 points, hauled in 11 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists.

That is a rare event, but it was up against a Jazz team that put up 74 second-half points on the Timberwolves. Worst of all, the Minnesota Timberwolves held a 10-point lead that seemed to be enough to hold out. But the Jazz go hot and seemed to hit on every shot.

It was a thrilling game, coming down to the final shot, a 22-foot three-point attempt by forward Jaden McDaniels as time ran out.

In the end, Kyle Anderson has a great statistical game in a losing effort. But he deserved to be on the winning side this time. Unfortunately, his efforts fell short for the Timberwolves once more.