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The Minnesota Timberwolves barely beat the tanking Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, holding off a Quentin Grimes surge to earn a 114-109 victory. Grimes knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers to help turn an 11-point deficit into a one-point game with just under two minutes to play, but Anthony Edwards scored five straight points to gain separation. Grimes wasn't done, though, getting the margin back down to two with 31.2 seconds left. Edwards delivered the final dagger with a triple with 7.1 seconds left.
While the Timberwolves earned the hard-fought win, head coach Chris Finch wasn't pleased with the team's overall effort. Finch did praise Rudy Gobert for bringing it, per Jace Frederick of the Pioneer Press.
“(Rudy) just refuses to let us lose on nights like this, but you can argue that we probably should have,” Finch said. “We need more guys playing with that intentionality. It's been who we've been all season, and it's disappointing.”
Timberwolves surging amid bumpy season
It has been a bit of a roller-coaster season for Minnesota, though the team has generally been playing much better of late. The Timberwolves have won five games in a row and are 14-3 since a loss to the lowly Utah Jazz at the end of February. Minnesota won eight straight games after that defeat.
Despite this, Finch still doesn't love what he's seeing from his team. Barely beating a 23-55 Sixers squad gives good reason for angst, but luckily the Timberwolves were able to get the job done behind Edwards' heroics and Gobert's strong play. Edwards poured in a game-high 37 points on 12-of-21 shooting overall and 6-of-13 from 3-point land. Gobert had 23 points and 19 rebounds.
With the win, Minnesota was able to keep pace in the messy Western Conference standings. Just 1.5 games separate the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers and eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies, with the 46-32 Timberwolves sitting in the No. 6 slot. However, the Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers share the same 46-32 record.
There's going to be plenty of jockeying for position over the final stretch of the regular season. Minnesota is going to need to be sharp to avoid the play-in tournament, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks up next on Tuesday.
