THURSDAY NIGHT — The Minnesota Timberwolves were searching for a bounce-back performance following a tough loss in Philadelphia on Wednesday. With the Los Angeles Lakers also on the second leg of a back-to-back, both teams were desperate for the dub. The Timberwolves have placed an emphasis on everyone playing when healthy, an advantage on Thursday night against the Lakers who were without LeBron James. The absence of the 21-year vet proved to be pivotal as the Timberwolves closed out the Lakers by a final score of 118-111. Minnesota’s offensive attack was fueled by an impressive the team’s 32 assists. Postgame, Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley praised their collection of talent and the team’s willingness to play together to find ways to win.

Let’s jump into their thoughts and how we saw Minnesota’s connectivity manifest a win.

Mike Conley leads by example

Mike Conley led all Timberwolves with eight assists as the veteran point guard has been an exemplary role model for the other Wolves to follow. Minnesota’s ball movement seems to be at its best when Conley is the one running the show. The stability he provides late game is huge, but has also allowed others to follow in his footsteps as decision-makers.

Anthony Edwards most notably has taken a step forward as a facilitator. Averaging a career-best 5.1 assists per game, Ant stayed steady by posting another five assists against LA. Edwards’ biggest skillset improvement has been his cross-court skip passing this year as the defense rotates. Edwards came up with another clutch dime in this fashion to help close the door on the Lakers.

Another noteworthy aspect of Edwards’ development as a playmaker has been a change in his mindset. Rather than forcing tough shots over doubles or dribbling through a crowd, Ant has settled into making the easy play. When blitzed, Edwards now willingly gives up the rock allowing his teammates to play 4-on-3. This play at the end of the third quarter stood out as an excellent example of Edwards trusting his teammates in these situations.

The Wolves’ center Rudy Gobert was quick to praise Edwards' growth as a decision-maker.

“Ant is gaining that maturity. He understands he doesn’t need to score 40 to be the best offensive player on the floor,” Gobert elaborated further by adding, “If he has two guys on him, just making the simple play opens up everything for everybody else and we have some pretty good guys around him.”

This shift in Ant’s play style allows Minnesota to take advantage of aggressive defenses while still being able to play through their young offensive superstar when necessary. In addition to Edwards' five assists, he scored 27 points on 9-19 shooting.

A collection of efforts contribute to the win

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The offensive output can’t just be Edwards every single night and Thursday was a great example of that. In a narrow win, Minnesota was propelled by all five starters scoring in double figures.

“We can be a different team each night. A different guy can be our leader for that night,” Conley concluded by sharing, “We’ve got a lot of guys who can step up each night.”

The Timberwolves’ starting five combined for 93 points on the night with all five players attempting at least eight shots. Eight of the nine Wolves to play in Thursday’s matchup recorded at least two assists. Minnesota’s offense, which features a collection of plus playmakers, is fairly based on equal opportunity looks for all five guys on the court. When the Wolves are at their best the ball moves side to side and doesn’t stick for long.

With the Timberwolves now looking to start up a new winning streak, they have a tough battle ahead of them in Sacramento against the Kings. The two teams have faced off once already this year as the Kings took down the Timberwolves in convincing fashion. The Wolves will look to keep the ball rolling — and moving — on Saturday against a Western Conference foe.