The Minnesota Timberwolves continued their roll Monday in Utah, downing the Jazz for the second time in four days.
This one was more competitive than Friday’s drubbing, but Monday’s 120-113 victory was comfortable nonetheless, with Minnesota seizing control in the third quarter and never surrendered it from there.
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Here are takeaways from Minnesota’s latest victory
Another avalanche
Minnesota’s victories of late have all featured signature quarters in which the Wolves pulled away.
A 40-29 second quarter in Sacramento on Sunday provided Minnesota with plenty of cushion. Friday’s 43-15 first quarter ended all doubt against Utah. The Wolves utilized a 34-21 third quarter in Brooklyn to down the Nets and out-scored Charlotte 36-18 in the third nine days ago.
It was again the third frame where Minnesota did the bulk of its damage on Monday, as the Wolves out-scored Utah 40-25 in the quarter to turn a halftime deficit into a 13-point lead.
Anthony Edwards was the star of the run. He scored 21 points in the third quarter alone, going 7 for 9 from the field while also setting a defensive tone.
Edwards finished with 35 points, six assists and six rebounds.
McDaniels run
Jaden McDaniels has been a critical offensive piece for Minnesota this season, but he was quiet for three quarters in Utah.
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The forward was heard from in the final frame. McDaniels scored 12 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, all in a five-minute span that helped Minnesota keep Utah at an arm’s length.
Offense in different ways
Minnesota entered the game as the NBA’s best shooting team, leading the league in true-shooting percentage (62.7%) and effective field-goal percentage (59.4%).
The shots didn’t fall at the same clip Monday, as the Wolves shot 47% from the field and just 30.3% from distance. But the Wolves found offense in other ways, tallying 54 points in the paint while going 26 for 28 from the free-throw line.
Julius Randle was again the conductor of Minnesota’s offensive show. He had 27 points — on the strength of a 12 for 13 showing at the free-throw line — to go with eight rebounds and seven assists. Minnesota won Randle’s 34 minutes by 22 points.
Energy deficient
On the second-half of a back to back, the Timberwolves didn’t have the same bite they displayed in their two previous victories. The defensive intensity was evident in spurts, but not as consistent throughout.
And Minnesota was beaten up on the glass by Utah, who tallied 16 offensive rebounds that resulted in 22 second-chance points. The Wolves best brand of basketball involved tenacious defense that generates opportunities in transition going the other way.
It’s highly effective, but also draining. It’s also possible a lack of legs contributed to the subpar shooting performance.
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That’s something to watch over the weekend, when Minnesota hosts Sacramento on Friday, and then welcomes the Nuggets to Target Center on Saturday in a big-time Western Conference duel.
Minnesota now gets three days off — a rare break in the grueling NBA regular season — before that NBA Cup group play tilt with the Kings on Friday.
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