It was a disappointing Game 1 performance for Bones Hyland last Saturday. He missed all three of his shot attempts in 5:20 of game action during the first half. Chris Finch didn’t call his number at all in the second half as he remained glued to the bench. Some people (including myself) wondered if Bones would play at all in Game 2 after Finch didn't use him in the final 24 minutes.
Hyland did play in Game 2, though, and the Minnesota Timberwolves evened up their opening-round series with the Denver Nuggets. As the series heads back to Minnesota for two games, Bones’ playing a role in the Wolves’ quest for a first-round upset can’t be overstated.
Hyland rebounds in Game 2 after disappointing Game 1
Even if he hasn’t publicly come out and said it, you know this series has a little more extra meaning for Hyland. The Nuggets are the team that drafted him in 2021, and they are also the team that decided to trade him off to the Los Angeles Clippers before his second season was even completed.
So it had to eat at Bones that the Timberwolves not only lost in Game 1, but that he didn’t even score. Despite that, on paper, this should be a series where he can do damage. While I won’t go as far as Jaden McDaniels did and call everyone on the Nuggets bad defenders, there isn’t much rim protection on the opposing team (Denver has just one block in each of the first two games).
Overall, the Nuggets ranked 21st in defensive rating this season. Denver's poor defense could give Hyland a runway to provide some much-needed bench scoring.
Hyland connected on two 3-pointers in the first quarter in Game 2, but he also picked up three very quick fouls. Finch rewarded him with second-half minutes this time around, though, and Bones capitalized with 7 third quarter points even though he wasn't inserted in until there was 2:41 left.
After losing their first three regular season matchups with Denver this year, they won the fourth and final meeting on March 1. In that outing, Bones was awesome as well. He scored 18 points in less than 16 minutes, knocking down all three of his 3-point tries.
Both Bones and his ‘Twin Turbos’ mate Ayo Dosunmu are pivotal in helping Minnesota advance as bench pieces that can put loads of pressure on Denver’s defense. Scoring 13 points in slightly less than 10 minutes of action from Hyland on Monday is further evidence of that.
It's fair to anticipate Bones getting more opportunities, and if the Wolves pull off an upset, his bench scoring could be a key part of their success.
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