After an unbelievable loss last time out, the Minnesota Timberwolves took to the nation’s capital for a get-right game against the Washington Wizards. Washington has had a rough season, but that didn’t stop them from opening the game out strong. Jumping out to a strong start, Chris Finch burned a timeout less than a minute into the contest. Clearly not messing around on Wednesday night, the Wolves responded well to Finch’s early timeout. From that point, Minnesota closed out the first quarter with a 30-20 scoring advantage.

After the halftime break, the Timberwolves poured it on with a convincing third quarter. Outscoring Washington by 14 points in the third, Minnesota grabbed a stronghold on the game and never looked back. In a bounce-back effort, the Timberwolves started their road trip off to a good note. Winning 118-107, the Wolves got back in the win column behind a collection of good efforts and improved defensive focus.

Here are our instant takeaways from the Timberwolves' convincing win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.

Finding a healthy balance on offense

After a disastrous loss in the Karl-Anthony Towns one-man show last time out, the Timberwolves searched for a strong collective effort. The Timberwolves loaded roster played to its strength offensively. Decisive ball movement leading to open shots, the Wolves found gaudy offensive outputs through multiple starters. Their starting five combined for 103 of the team’s 118 points. Even without starting point guard Mike Conley, Minnesota’s ball movement was crisp. Evading their typical turnover problems, the Wolves posted a great 26:7 assist to turnover ratio in the win.

Behind this came strong individual showings. Karl-Anthony Towns was productive as usual. Racking up 27 points, Towns posted a game-high plus-26 on the night. Anthony Edwards was much more aggressive on Wednesday night. Hunting for his own shot, the Wolves’ star looked much more like himself. While his 11-28 shooting night wasn’t as efficient as one would like, his scoring production was still a positive sign for the Wolves. Pouring in 38 points, Anthony Edwards’ assertive nature was on full display until the final buzzer. Turning the corner with ease and knocking down pull-up jumpers, the young star was a handful for Washington all night long.

To go along with his 38 points, Edwards dished out five assists on the night. While the Timberwolves’ offense has sputtered at times this season, there is one growing strength between key pieces: the Anthony Edwards-Rudy Gobert pick and roll game is emerging in a big way. Specifically through lob passes, Edwards is doing a better job finding the Wolves big-man on rim runs.

Rudy Gobert finished the contest with another impressive double-double. 19 points and 16 rebounds, the Stifle Tower was an efficient force for Minnesota’s offense. Typically finding his success playing off the basketball, the Wolves’ timely passing often results in immediate success from their anchor.

Ball contain comes back to lifeTimberwolves Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards saying “All-Defense” with Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels beside them on the other side.

Gobert racked up four blocks on the night, but the biggest story for Minnesota’s defense comes at the point of attack. Last game against Charlotte, Finch was clear about the poor defensive effort. Pointing to poor ball contain as a big factor in the Wolves’ collapse, Wednesday night was a much different story. The Timberwolves held Washington to just 107 points on the night. Most specifically, the Wizards’ guards struggled immensely.

Tyus Jones came into the game shooting a career-best 51% from the field, but the Wolves shut him down. Shooting just 2-7, Jones finished with only five points in 32 minutes of game action. Jordan Poole wasn’t any better. Poole shot 2-11 from the field himself including 1-4 from three. The lack of backcourt production was a determining factor in the 11-point Timberwolves win.

With the better initial defensive efforts, Minnesota was able to force 21 turnovers on the night. The Wolves effectively used Wednesday’s game against the Wizards to regain their identity on both ends of the floor. Strong point of attack defense paired with Gobert’s rim protection has been an unconquerable force for the Wolves when they’re playing up to their standards.