As Karl-Anthony Towns has been absent for several weeks, the Wolves have less margin when Anthony Edwards is less good. However, this has been the case for six matches, with only 19.3 points on average at 38% shooting success and 19% at 3-pts. However, Minnesota does not suffer from it with 5 victories during this sequence.
The last against the Rockets bears the mark of the All-Star (21 points) with its dunks in the final moments, but it was the entire group which made it possible to resist Houston.
Wolves avoid isolation trap
Anthony Edwards didn't score his first basket until the third quarter and that didn't stop the Wolves from compiling 38 points in the second quarter. Naz Reid scored 25 points and backups Kyle Anderson and Jordan McLaughlin were very good with 13 and 11 points.
“That’s my idea of offensive basketball. The ball circulates, we share it, we find the open player”, explains the coach Chris Finch. “Especially when you face defenses that change a lot, because they want to force you to play slow, isolation basketball and they block the racket. We didn't fall into that trap after the first quarter. We were good at playing fast. »
“Now that Karl-Anthony Towns is gone, there are opportunities for others to step up and play well”
The figures show it well with 41 baskets scored by the Wolves and 29 assists. In the second quarter, 14 of 15 baskets were scored after an assist. Certainly, there are 17 lost balls, born from negligence and the aggressiveness of the Rockets, but the game calls for foul.
“With rhythm and cadence”, answers Jordan McLaughlin when asked how the offense manages to generate good shots. “We know that the ball is circulating and will arrive. It's an exercise that we do all the time: we enter and pass, again and again, and it gives rhythm. If you dribble, the pass may come a little late or be poorly made. »
It's been a month since “KAT” has been away and Minnesota is holding on. The proof: the Wolves were first in the Western Conference at the time of his injury. Since then, they have won 9 matches out of 13 and remain in second place, barring a victory from Denver.
“Everyone had a chance to have a shoot and everyone is happy for the other, everyone wants to see the other have fun and shine,” adds Naz Reid. “When Towns is present, the attack goes partly through him and that’s normal,” says Kyle Anderson. “Now that he’s not here, there are opportunities for others to step up and play well. »
