The game between the Timberwolves and the Nuggets was supposed to be a strong showdown between the top teams in the Western Conference, but it lost some of its highlights before the game due to injuries. The Timberwolves almost injured every inside line. Towns can't play, Gobert can't play, and even Reid can't play.
Therefore, the Timberwolves' starting lineup became three defenders + McDaniels + Kyle Lee. The only serious insider in the team was Garza, and Li acted as the starting center against Jokic. No wonder the media in the United States said: "This will be the easiest matchup Jokic has ever encountered."
Although it seemed that there was almost no hope of defeating the Nuggets, the Timberwolves were rushing to win from the beginning. The ball went. Of course, Brother Li can't guard Jokic by himself. The Timberwolves replaced Garza early, at least the height is there. When
was grabbing a rebound, three Timberwolves surrounded Jokic, and Huazi jumped high in front. In the absence of an inside line today, the Timberwolves relied on their hard work and enthusiasm to at least lose the entire game in rebounds.
The Timberwolves gave Jokic a lot of outside shooting opportunities in the opening game, and Jokic also took a lot of long-distance shots to "give face". When the Nuggets won the game against the Heat a few days ago, Jokic took 8 shots. Today, he made 5 of 9 shots in the first quarter and had 13 points and 8 rebounds. He was still unstoppable.
The Timberwolves lost by 7 points in the first quarter, 8 points in the second quarter, and fell behind by a maximum of 18 points in the first half. It seems that this is the end of the game, but the exciting moment for the Timberwolves has not yet come.
The third quarter became the turning point of the game. The Timberwolves beat the Nuggets by 12 points in a single quarter. Huazi played the entire quarter, scoring 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal on 6 of 9 shots. After three quarters, he had 30 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
was full of talent on the offensive end, and his three-pointer in the third quarter once allowed the Timberwolves to take the lead. The wolf cubs on the defensive end are also full. If one person cannot guard Jokic, then two or three people will go together. Jokic turned around and passed Garza. Morris behind him bravely put his chin on Jokic's elbow and committed an offensive foul.
In the last minute, the Timberwolves were only 4 points behind, but Jokic hit Conley's back shot to widen the difference to 6 points. It looked like Jokic was going to kill the game, but looking back, Huazi assisted McDaniels and hit a three-pointer, and the Timberwolves continued to stay in the game.
In the last 11.5 seconds, Conley Sr. still hit a three-pointer; in the last 4.5 seconds, McDaniels hit another three-pointer, only 1 point away! After the Nuggets made two free throws, Hua Zi missed a three-pointer and finally lost.
The Timberwolves were really biting the Nuggets' clothes like hungry wolves. In the last few dozen seconds, the Timberwolves scored three three-pointers in a row. Although the Nuggets still took away the victory in the away game, the Timberwolves definitely let the Nuggets I broke into a lot of cold sweat.
Huazi, who scored 30 points in the third quarter, failed to score in the final quarter, but Conley and McDaniels stepped up to fill the vacancies on the offensive end. Li Ge, who was guarding Jokic, had 12 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists; Garza, who was called in at the critical moment, had 11 points and 6 rebounds; and old Morris had 8 points and 3 steals.
Although it was a loss, this has to be one of my favorite Timberwolves games of the season. With the three major insiders injured, facing the defending champion, the whole team showed an extremely tenacious style of play. This is the key to whether they can go further in the playoffs.
Huazi had the highest scores, rebounds and assists on the team today. At least he carried the team on his own in the first three quarters. Although he was 0 for 4 in the final quarter, he also had 3 assists, showing a certain ability to handle the ball.
This is Huazi's four consecutive games with 30+ points, and his scoring ability is obvious to all. And he contributed a dunk that almost sealed the best dunk of the year. Facing Collins, he soared into the sky and slammed the ball into the basket.
And if I were to select the best blocking screen of the year, I would also choose Hua Zi. The last block against the Pacers where he hit his head against the backboard was earth-shattering and had as much of a visual impact as any other dunk.
Of course Huazi still has many flaws at this stage, including unstable three-point shooting and errors in handling the ball after being double-teamed.But these flaws are the sign of Huazi's youth, and young people should have enough room for mistakes.
What I like about Hua Zi is that after he injured his finger after dunking, he simply went back to the locker room to deal with it and then immediately returned to the game. He said he wanted to celebrate, but his finger hurt too much.
He can inspire the enthusiasm of all his teammates on the court and hit a go-ahead three-pointer. He will not pretend to be indifferent and say something that the game is not over yet. He would laugh and laugh and it would rub off on the whole team.
Once the Timberwolves' momentum drops, he can always ignite morale with a very difficult breakthrough layup or a successful press. He should have never thought about maintaining a good shooting percentage. He will do it no matter how difficult the shot or layup is.
His vitality, his naive character in interviews, his passion and fearlessness on the court, and his courage to always firmly believe that he and his teammates will win are all the shining points of this young man.
As long as he is around, you will always have expectations for the Timberwolves. This is the magic of Edwards.
