The Timberwolves’ victory over the Warriors on Friday came in a game where they were as short-handed as they have been all season. Both Anthony Edwards (right knee soreness) and Mike Conley (right Achilles tendinopathy) were sidelined for the contest.
Not even five minutes into the game against Golden State, Bones Hyland came up hobbling after committing a foul down low on defense. Hyland, in his first career start with Minnesota, did not return as the injury was later announced as a right knee contusion. While no timetable is known for how long/if he will be on the shelf, another opportunity may have arisen for Rob Dillingham.
Not exactly sure what happened, but Bones Hyland did something to his right knee. As he subbed out, he was visibly in a lot of pain on the bench. David Hines was tending to him. Looked like the two of them went back to the locker room.
— Charlie Walton (@CharlieWaltonMN) December 13, 2025
Rob Dillingham comes through in fourth quarter
In their previous game against the Suns on Monday, Dillingham didn’t leave the bench. The eighth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft was a DNP-CD for just the second time this season, the first coming in the regular season opener. Taking his place in the rotation was Hyland, and he took advantage with 12 points in 14 minutes.
With both Edwards and Conley out Friday, it was expected that Dillingham would get playing time with the guard depth chart compromised. Of course, it became weakened even more once Hyland was forced to exit. Dillingham would go on to see playing time in all four quarters, a rare occurrence for the 20-year-old of late.
Seeing close to 17 minutes of playing time, Dillingham finished the performance with six points (3-7 from the field, 0-1 from 3-point range), one rebound, no assists, and 2 turnovers. While those numbers are nothing to write home about, the 6-foot-2 guard hit two big shots in the fourth quarter. He scored the first bucket of the final stanza to cut the Timberwolves’ deficit to one, and two minutes later, Dillingham drove for a layup to break a tie.
Most playing time for Dillingham since early November
The Timberwolves next play on Sunday in what will be their fourth tilt of the year with the Kings. With Edwards and Conley being listed as questionable for much of Friday before being ruled out, there’s a chance that their absences are just for one game. Hyland, though, may have sustained an injury that will force him out of action for at least a brief time.
If that is the case, will Dillingham be given another chance in the rotation? His play through the first three quarters didn’t inspire much confidence on Friday, but he came through in the fourth. In his previous five outings (and eight of his last nine, 11 of his last 13), Dillingham played less than 10 minutes. Friday actually marked his most time on the court since November 3.
It isn’t necessarily a guarantee that Dillingham is back in the rotation if Hyland is forced to miss time. Chris Finch could go with a nine-man rotation, utilizing Conley, Naz Reid, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Jaylen Clark off the bench.
Ending Friday on a high note, though, should cause Finch to at least give Dillingham some run on Sunday.