In an atmosphere filled with emotion after the murder of a mother, killed by Donald Trump’s anti-immigration forces, the Wolves recorded a 4th victory in a row by winning 131-122 against the Cavaliers.
To counter the “very tall ball” of the Wolves, Kenny Atkinson aligns his 21st different major five of the season with little Craig Porter Jr. to support Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, who are already not very tall.
The result is catastrophic since this five is dominated from the start against a Julius Randle of the big nights. Alley-oop, 3-pointers in first intention, assists… The Wolves take the lead (17-5) and the interior is in all the good shots.
In a match of skill, Sam Merrill revives the Cavaliers, and it’s day and night! For 10 to 15 minutes, we see Cleveland basketball from last season. There is aggression, mobility, skill and the Wolves are knocked down like pancakes! Losses of ball continued on the Minnesota side, and after coming back to the score at the end of the first quarter (32-31), Cleveland escaped thanks to Evan Mobley in pick-and-pop, and the amazing Craig Porter Jr. (45-37).
The Wolves are looking for a second wind, and it’s Donte DiVincenzo on 3-points, then Rudy Gobert on the offensive rebound who regain the upper hand. At the break, the Cavaliers only lead by 4 points (67-63). Anthony Edwards’ last prayer came to nothing.
Randle’s strikes
When we return from the locker room, we see a copy and paste of the first quarter. Julius Randle is unleashed, and the Wolves go 9-0 to regain control. This time, they don’t give up, and Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels take over (89-75). Kenny Atkinson takes two timeouts, but nothing changes, and the gap reaches 20 points (104-84) after a 3-pointer from Jaylen Clark.
But as in the first half, Sam Merrill sounds the charge. Taking over from a finally aggressive Donovan Mitchell, he followed up with a tap then two 3-pointers to bring the Cavaliers back to… -4 (121-117). We have just entered “money time”, and Edwards is putting on his “clutch player” costume. After a screen from Rudy Gobert, he sinks into the defense and despite several defenders, he scores a very complicated basket. Behind, Sam Merrill responds, still at 3-points, but McDaniels ends the evening with an astonishing dunk: on the counterattack, he bounces the ball for himself before dunking. The public is in heaven, and the Wolves win 131-122.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Tribute. The city of Minneapolis is in shock after the murder of Renee Good, a mother killed while driving her car by an ICE agent. Before the meeting, the franchise paid tribute to him with a minute of silence, and the atmosphere was very heavy in the room and on the floor.
– 10 000e point. At 24 years and 156 days old, Anthony Edwards became the third youngest player in history to reach 10,000 points, behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant. In NBA history, only seven players have reached this mark before the age of 25.
– Address. Even if the performance was not straight, the Wolves signed one of their best performances with skill records for the season: 57% on shots, including 53% from 3-points.
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
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