The next morning, the Minnesota Timberwolves are probably still trying to calm themselves down after their team secured a wild comeback in overtime to defeat the Houston Rockets, a club they are jockeying for playoff positioning with.
The one concern in the back of fans’ minds, though, was that Jaden McDaniels left the game late in the fourth quarter and did not return in overtime. Luckily, the initial report is a positive one. According to Timberwolves beat reporter Christopher Hine, McDaniels said this after the game,
“I really just kind of cramped a little bit, but I’ll be alright next game.”
Certainly positive news to hear with just nine games remaining in the regular season.
Timberwolves can't afford to not have McDaniels in the lineup
It was evident from watching the end of regulation that something was wrong with McDaniels. He wasn’t moving very well, and Chris Finch subbed him out with a little more than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter. It was a shame, because the 25-year-old was having an excellent scoring night (25 points on 10-of-17 shooting), stepping up with both Anthony Edwards and Ayo Dosunmu out of action.
A team that has been relatively healthy all season before Edwards’ right knee ailment that has sidelined him for the last five outings, couldn’t afford to also see Jaden now have to miss time. As long as his self-diagnosis proves to be correct, it does not look as if he will need to.
The good news is that the Timberwolves have the next two days off before a game at home on Saturday against the Detroit Pistons. That will allow McDaniels more time to ensure he’s ready to be back against a squad with the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Wednesday’s miraculous comeback allowed Minnesota to move 1.5 games over the Rockets and also gives them an opportunity to win a tiebreaker with them if needed. Their season series is now squared at one apiece with one meeting remaining on April 10.
The Wolves currently own a 45-28 record, good for fifth-best in the Western Conference. Moving up would ensure homecourt advantage in at least the opening round of the postseason. Minnesota is just a half-game behind the Denver Nuggets for fourth, and two games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for third. Unfortunately, both of those teams possess the tiebreaker over the Timberwolves.
Having McDaniels (and maybe Edwards?) back Saturday will be huge against the Pistons, a team they also meet up with again next Thursday. Jaden is in the midst of his best offensive season, and it would be wonderful to see him not miss any time.