Led by their young superstar Anthony (Ant) Edwards, the Minnesota Timberwolves are one win away from defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in their best of seven NBA Western Conference First Round matchup. In a series where they have not shot the ball well, they have been stingy defensively and careful with the basketball.
Some people would view this as an unlikely scenario what with the Laker’s trade for Luka Doncic to pair with the future Hall of Famer LeBron James to create a talented and competitive duo. But in what amounts to a changing of the guard in the NBA, Ant is without a doubt the best player on the court.
Shooting Poorly but Defending Well
As I mentioned before, the Wolves are having a poor shooting series. As a team they are shooting .451% (39-86.5) from the field, .381 (13.3-34.8) from beyond the arc, and .775 (17.3-22.3) from the free throw line. Rudy Gobert is only hitting on .308 of his shots, Donte DiVincenzo is shooting at a .324 pace, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker is shooting a measly .261 from the field. But what they are lacking in shooting percentages they are making up in defense, rebounding, ballhandling and hustle.
Minnesota has outrebounded Los Angeles 165-158, including topping them 47-40 on the offensive boards. They are averaging 8 steals a game to the Lakers 5. And the Wolves have forced 58 turnovers while only giving up the ball 43 times. And although Doncic is averaging 30.8 points per game, Ant is making him work for every basket. This has led to him shooting only 3.68 from long range. And with Lakers coach J.J. Redick wearing out his players (no rotations in second half on Sunday night), the Lakers as a team are wearing down.
New Winning Lineup
With Gobert struggling offensively, Wolves coach Chris Finch has found the lineup he needs to close out games. His go to five are Ant, DiVincenzo, Naz Reid, Julius Randall, and Jaden McDaniels. Ant of course is being his usual great self on the court offensively and defensively. DiVincenzo is playing a scrappy all-around game. Randall is erasing all of the memories of past poor playoff performances by averaging 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game.
McDaniels has been his perfect 3 and D self hitting his clutch shots and playing smothering defense for the Wolves. And Reid is playing in another stratosphere. Los Angeles has no answers for the big man whether he is driving to the hoop or shooting his rainbow three-pointers. Talking about their dominance in in the fourth quarter of Game 4, Ant said.
“I felt like we took their best punches to start the third (quarter) and at the end of the third, and I felt like they (were) gassed going down the stretch; so, just trying to keep my foot on the pedal.”
Close Out
The Wolves hope to end the series tonight. But even if the Lakers find a way to squeeze out a Game 5 win, the odds of them overcoming their 3-1 deficit against this aggressive, hard charging Minnesota team are slim indeed.
