31 December 2023
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch made a wise decision in the closing minutes of Saturday’s tilt at Target Center against the Los Angeles Lakers.
He put the ball in the hands of Mike Conley.
Where else would you want it?
Minnesota’s offense stagnated at various points in the game, with Anthony Edwards dribbling the air out of the ball — with some success — and Karl-Anthony Towns simply being out of sorts.
That didn’t cut it offensively for the first three and a half quarters, and it certainly wasn’t going to cut it to close out the contest.
So Finch instructed the ball to go to Minnesota’s most calm, collected, smart player in Conley, who knocked down a couple key triples and set his teammates up for looks to help seal the door on Minnesota’s 106-104 victory.
It didn’t come easy. Minnesota nearly combusted in the closing moments as, up seven with 30 seconds to play, Jaden McDaniels committed an inexcusable foul to give LeBron James an and-1, and then added insult to injury with a technical foul, creating a four-point play.
McDaniels fouled out, continuing his season-long battle with foul trouble.
Conley — who finished with 15 points and seven assists — then missed a three on the other end, and James buried what looked to be a three in transition to tie the game. But the officials called it a two-pointer, and there wasn’t enough on replay to overturn it, which allowed the Wolves (24-7) to keep a one-point edge.
Anthony Edwards split free-throws on the other end, giving the Lakers a chance to win the game with 1.4 seconds to play. But James couldn’t get off a shot attempt, and the Wolves won at the buzzer.
James finished with 26 points on his 39th birthday after he entered the day listed as questionable to play due to illness.
Anthony Davis was a monster for the Lakers (17-16), tallying 33 points and 17 rebounds to go with eight assists.
But he wasn’t the only great big in the game. Naz Reid was equally as excellent for Minnesota. He finished with 21 points on 8 for 11 shooting, and seemingly was one of the best drivers of good offense for the Wolves.
Edwards finished with 31 points, going 10 for 23 from the field. But he hit 10 free-throws, extending his streak of consecutive games with double-digit free-throw attempts to three — a major positive development for the Wolves.
Towns finished with nine points and nine rebounds, but he was limited with five fouls and committed a series of head-scratching turnovers. Minnesota finished with 19 giveaways, an issue that continues to plague it. But Minnesota continues to win through the struggles, much to the pleasure of a packed home crowd.
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