The Minnesota Timberwolves won their 3rd straight game in a row at Orlando tonight. The final score was Minnesota 104 Orlando 89, Minnesota was leading by 11 after the first quarter and never lost the lead. Julius Randle had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Anthony Edwards had 21 points and seven assists. Naz Reid came off the bench to score 16 points. Rudy Gobert added 10 points and 12 rebounds.
George Bitadze had 15 points and eight rebounds. Caleb Houstan added 14 points and made 4 three-pointers. The magic was without starting guard Jalen Suggs who has missed the last three games with a back strain. Paolo Banchero missed his 34th straight game with a torn oblique, he did participate in team shootaround but did not play. Paolo is considered questionable for tomorrow’s game against Milwaukee, but the Magic coaching staff does expect him to play.
Analyzing the Win: Key Takeaways From Wolves’ 3-Game Streak
The Timberwolves broke a seven-game losing streak against Eastern Conference opponents. They almost led from start to finish, even leading by as much as 24 points at one point during the game.
The Magic continues to struggle with scoring and shooting the ball this year. They shot 38% tonight, they are also the lowest-scoring team in the NBA at 104.8 points per game. It could be the absence of both Banchero and Suggs, but the magic will be getting their top players back soon so that number will likely go up.
The Defining Moment
Anthony Edwards had a jaw-dropping dunk where he launched himself over the Magic’s Anthony Black for a dunk, then came down with a glare to the crowd and a little flex of the muscles. He would put the wolves up by 10 points, and they would cruise after that. According to Ant, he doesn’t believe his dunk should have counted. Watch the video and see for yourself.
“Anthony Edwards on his dunk: ‘It was a nice one, but he a guard. I can’t really count those.’ But Black is 6-7? ‘He’s still a guard. You’re not expecting him to go meet me at the rim & block my shot. … But if it was one of those bigs, trust me I probably would’ve got a tech,’”
By the Numbers: Key Stats From Wolves’ Victory
In the middle of the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves were 12-28 (43%) from 3-point range while the Magic were 6 for 30 (20%).
The Wolves also attempted 12 more free throws (24-31) against the Magic’s 19 (13-19). The largest lead of the night was 24 for the Wolves and 3 for the Magic.
Wolves vs. Memphis Grizzlies: The Next Test Awaits
The Wolves will come home for one quick game against the talented Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis is currently in 3rd place in the Western Conference standings only trailing the Houston Rockets by 1 1/2 games. The Grizzlies have been without All-Star Ja Morant for numerous spurts this year, he did play in Thursday’s loss to the Rockets, scoring 27 points. Jaren Jackson Jr is having another solid year averaging 22.7 points per game. 23-year-old Santi Aldam is having a standout year for the Magic with career highs in, scoring (13.0), rebounds (7.3), and shooting percentage (50.8%). The rookie from Purdue Zach Edey has contributed nicely off the bench as well.
The Wolves got a nice game from Julius Randle, but we all know he’s far too inconsistent this year to continue this trend, he has played better with the Finch lineup change, shooting over 50% from the floor the last four out of five games. Look for Edwards to do his usual scoring, and have contributions from Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo. The Wolves have looked better during this three-game win streak and will look to win a fourth straight against a good Memphis team with Ja Morant healthy.
With their win on Thursday, the Wolves improved to 20-17 good for 7th in the Western Conference Standings. They are only 1 1/2 games behind the fourth-place Denver Nuggets.
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