Timberwolves will go to Detroit on Wednesday night, still leading the West…
FOX 9 MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Timberwolves have been leading the Western Conference for over two months, so don’t flinch when you see them.
The Timberwolves improved to 28-11 on the season on Sunday night at Target Centre as they defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 109-105. They are now one game ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference, having finished almost halfway through. Veteran guard Mike Conley Jr. is not surprised by anything; he was pleased with what he saw all the way back to training camp.
“To be honest, I just glanced at it on paper. “If we all buy in, this team has a chance to be a really good defensive-minded team. Look at our roster and the guys, the length that we have,” Conley said on Tuesday at Mayo Clinic Square. “That kind of set the stage for us.”
The Timberwolves’ home record is the best in the Western Conference, which certainly helps. With a 16-2 record at Target Centre, they are second only to the Boston Celtics in the NBA. Last week, the Timberwolves almost gave the Celtics their first home defeat.
The Wolves have been good at defending their home court so far, and if they maintain that edge in the playoffs, they’ll need to do so even more.
We’re pretty much selling out every home game, which is very good for us. It’s been fantastic, amazing, in my opinion, to have that enthusiasm that we haven’t had in a few years, Naz Reid remarked. “There is a lot of support, and everyone is eager to see us play. To the fans, that is.”
It wasn’t always possible to say that the Timberwolves managed their business, but they have done so regularly. Before playing the Celtics, they enjoyed a run of 16 consecutive games against teams who had records better than.500.
The Wolves’ record at that time was 9-7. They haven’t been the best team in the West since mid-January, yet here they are. With three games in the next four nights, the Timberwolves will now begin their trip in Detroit on Wednesday. The luxury is that they have three games in a row at home after playing the Pistons.
In many respects, it seems like we’ve regained our mojo, and that’s significant to us. We have a three-in-four here, so it’s critical that we as coaches maintain the proper tempo for them to be able to play those games with fresh legs,” Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said.
Guard Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics has become a more reliable scorer this season, but he can still find the net when called upon.
That was evident in the Celtics’ 105-96 victory against the Raptors on Monday night, their fourth of the season to finish the Boston-Toronto season series, which put them in the winner’s column for the second game in a row.
Holiday finished with a season-high 22 points on 7 of 14 shooting, six rebounds, seven assists, and four clutch 3-pointers. The 33-year-old, who is most recognised for his defence, saw that the Celtics needed to advance with offensive intensity, and it was a wise move.
“I thought it was necessary,” Holiday said after the game, according to NBC Sports Boston. “I simply seized the opportunities that presented themselves, and we endeavoured to exhibit aggression on both ends of the floor.”
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We’re pretty excellent at determining when we can go, let that guy go, and start acquiring buckets, Holiday continued.
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a positive development for Holiday, who came into the game with 12.8 points and an average of 10.9 shot attempts per game, the lowest since Holiday’s third NBA season. Finding a picture-perfect opportunity to remind everyone that Holiday is a reliable scorer, much like the other members of Boston’s starting five.
That is a significant improvement in the midst of Holiday’s season-long transition in his first year with the Celtics after three years with the Milwaukee Bucks.
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With six minutes left in the fourth quarter, Holiday extended Boston’s advantage to 97-88 by blocking Toronto’s 8-0 run with a contested 3-pointer. Holiday utilised teammate Kristaps Porzingis, a 7-foot-3 centre, as an unintentional screen to find enough room to make the crucial late-game shot after spotting him inside the perimeter.
As shown on NBC Sports Boston’s postgame broadcast, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters, “He’s just learning how to affect the game differently.” He’s becoming more at ease on both sides of the floor, as you can see. That’s what I believed he did tonight.
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Holiday made his defensive mark in Boston’s previous 39 games, forming an NBA-best duo with fellow guard Derrick White on that end of the court. However, the two alternated in making baskets on Monday night in Toronto, where they scored 44 points between them.
Mazzulla pointed out that White’s transition from the San Antonio Spurs to the Boston Celtics in 2022 and Holiday’s adjustment to a loaded club are comparable.
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More significant than trying to score in double digits or make an All-Star team, Holiday became an invaluable member of a Boston team that went on to compile an NBA-best 31-9 record, which included a perfect 19-0 run at home. In the end, however, having that version of Holiday is more important for the Celtics’ ultimate goal than anything else: making it to the NBA Finals.
That’s precisely what Boston Celtics head of basketball operations Brad Stevens had in mind this past summer when he sent Robert Williams III and Malcolm Brogdon to the Portland Trailblazers in order to get Holiday.
Stevens’ offseason labour comes to life one more night.
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