Friday night was a big one for the Minnesota Timberwolves as they traveled into Tennessee to take on the Memphis Grizzlies. A Grizzlies team still without its lead guard Ja Morant was facing an uphill battle against the the NBA’s top team by record. Wolves star guard Anthony Edwards left the game just four minutes in due to a right hip pointer, an injury he sustained a couple of weeks ago and had been working his way back from. Even without Edwards tallying a single point, the T-Wolves played their style of basketball and found a way to win by a score of 127-103. Let’s dig into the Wolves’ win over the Grizzlies with three major takeaways.
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Bench production provides a spark
One big question for the Timberwolves this season coming into the year was how much bench production they would get on a night-to-night basis. Friday night was hopefully a positive sign of things to come from the bench unit. The bench combined for 54 total points headlined by Troy Brown Jr. and Shake Milton. The two newcomers both scored in double digits as Minnesota was looking for a spark without Ant.
The Timberwolves patiently waited for those two free-agency additions to produce. Troy Brown Jr. has played really well as of late continuing his hot stretch for the Wolves. TBJ concluded the contest with 20 points on 8-10 shooting, including 4-6 from deep. Milton, however, really needed a marquee performance, especially in the absence of Anthony Edwards. Friday night marked just the fourth time this season that Shake scored in double digits for Minnesota through 21 games. Milton’s best game in a Timberwolves uniform ended with him scoring 17 points on 6-9 shooting and a solid +9 plus-minus.
The Wolves are a 2nd half team
In the first half of games this season, the Timberwolves are allowing just over 55 points on average. The Wolves average about 57 points in the first half themselves leaving just a +2 differential. The 2nd half paints a different story as Minnesota’s defense tightens up significantly, allowing just over 49 points on average. Minnesota’s point differential is +5 on average in the 2nd half, as their offense doesn’t drop much even as the game slows down.
This trend continued Friday night as the Timberwolves took just a 60-55 advantage to the locker room at halftime. Halftime was again a big pivot point for them. Minnesota came out in the third quarter and outplayed Memphis significantly. In that third frame, the Wolves scored an astounding 38 points compared to just 24 Grizzlies’ points. The Wolves used that second-half surge to close out the game and win by a convincing 24 points.
As the season progresses, Minnesota’s slow starts and fiery finishes will be a trend worth watching. Can they continue their strong second-half dominance? Or will opponents take advantage of the Timberwolves' slower beginnings?
Rudy Gobert is playing at a DPOY level
The most important takeaway from the Wolves win is Gobert’s continued dominance on the defensive end. With Gobert searching to add more hardware to his trophy case, performances like Friday night go a long way. The Stifle Tower impacted seemingly every shot around the rim finishing with six blocks, setting a season high. Rudy’s block numbers tell just half the story. The shots Gobert challenges and deters showcase how much he impacts Minnesota’s stellar defense. The Wolves held the league’s best Defensive Field Goal percentage coming into Friday’s game at just 42.8%.
Gobert’s rim protection specifically is best measured by Minnesota’s defensive metrics within six feet of the hoop. The Wolves again lead the league in DFG% in this category and allow the 2nd least makes around the rim in the league on average. Anchored by Gobert, the Timberwolves allowed just 42 points in the paint Friday night. Memphis shot just 43.0% from the field compared to Minnesota’s 50.0% mark. With the Wolves vying for the best defense in the league and Gobert being the main identity for Minnesota on that side of the ball, his case for a fourth DPOY is clear.
In addition to his defensive production, Gobert secured 20 rebounds for the second consecutive game and poured in 16 points. Friday marked Gobert’s 16th double-double this season through just 21 games. With Gobert playing his best in a Wolves uniform, it should be no surprise that Minnesota sits atop the NBA with a 17-4 record. Led by multiple All-NBA caliber players, multiple versatile defenders and a collective identity, Minnesota’s six-game win streak might keep growing as they head into New Orleans to take on the Pelicans on Monday night.
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