Advertisement

Anthony Edwards and the bench blow out Oklahoma City in the fourth quarter

jace frederick, pioneer press
·3 min read
1

Chris Finch went with a lineup of Taurean Prince, Anthony Edwards, Jordan McLaughlin, Jaylen Nowell and Naz Reid to close the third quarter Friday against Utah.

That five-man grouping erased Utah’s momentum and trimmed Minnesota’s deficit to one by the end of the frame.

Finch went back to the starters to open the fourth, and largely rode them to the finish line en route to an overtime loss to the Jazz.

The coach changed course Sunday. Minnesota had again looked largely uninspiring through three quarters in Oklahoma City. The Thunder (0-3) were without their best player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the second night of a back to back after playing in the altitude in Denver on Saturday.

So, to start the fourth, Finch went back to that lineup consisting of four reserves and Edwards. And, yet again, they delivered. This time, in such a big way that there was no chance to remove them.

The lineup expanded Minnesota’s advantage from eight to 20 in a matter of five minutes, sealing the Timberwolves’ 116-106 victory over the Thunder.

“That lineup, we just sharing the ball. We don’t care who’s shooting,” Edwards said. “It’s just fun out there, man. Especially, like, I love to see my teammates shine, man. I don’t mind passing the ball for open shots. That five on the floor is the same way, and I think that’s why we got that lead that we had.”

That bench lineup gives Minnesota four shooters and McLaughlin, a masterful maestro who dictates pace and makes sure everyone is touching the ball. Edwards, who was aggressive from the opening tip, finished with 30 points and 11 rebounds.

Reid, whose minutes have been few and far between early in the season as the team’s No. 3 center, went off for 11 points in the final frame.

“That group that has been in, that group was in Iowa together and me, Jaylen and J-Mac and Nate coming in, we’ve all been a part of the system, we’re all best friends outside of basketball, so it all jelled,” Reid said. “It’s all come back into one. We just get the job done. We know the stakes and things like that when we go out there. We know what to do.”

That familiarity both with one another and the scheme, Finch noted, is key, and might be why the reserves, specifically, appear to be clicking this early in the season. Another positive from Sunday’s fourth quarter for the Wolves (2-1) is four starters — Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Jaden McDaniels — got the final frame off, a major advantage considering Minnesota goes back to work Monday at home against San Antonio.

Finch noted he’s seeing improvement in the starting lineup as it works to integrate Gobert into the unit. That was visible in brief moments Sunday, though they are fleeting at this point. But it’s possible the success off the bench can help Minnesota stem the tide until the “go-to” unit finds a better footing.

“For sure, the second unit sets the tone on how we’d like to play,” Finch said. “The first unit, it’ll take some time, it’ll definitely take some time, but I see some really encouraging things.”

Related Articles