Wolves 119, Clippers 117: Naz Reid Fuels a Comeback Win in Karl-Anthony Towns’ Return

wrap up

Minnesota Timberwolves Superstar big man Karl-Anthony Towns made his preseason debut after battling an unexplained illness that sidelined him for the first week of training camp, and his teammates pulled it off. I was.

After Minnesota trailed a very versatile player by 18 points los angeles clippers Thanks to a sloppy, isolated start, midway through the second quarter the team quickly fought back with greater intensity. Led by head coach Chris Finch, the team kept the game from getting out of hand before the half, combined with a free-flowing offensive mindset that produced easy, open looks in transition.

Bryn Forbes continued his red-hot barrage By connecting a pair of back-to-back 3s before Anthony Edwards took over halfcourt with a constant hunger for buckets of paint. Edwards chose his position too carefully in the first quarter, while Towns was again accustomed to his action live his game, but took it upon himself to soften his teammates’ defense. That turned the game script upside down.

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The Timberwolves closed the half with a 17-8 run in the final 4:35 of halftime and went inside 9 at halftime to go 62-53. In an interview with Wolves’ new play-by-play Michael Grady, Finch expressed defensive dissatisfaction with the players’ effort levels, and his team certainly responded.

Led by Edwards’ two runs, Minnesota created five live ball steals in the third quarter, inspiring an altruistic and confident offensive rhythm. The Wolves were led by three makes from Jaden McDaniels, Jalen Nowell, Edwards and Towns, who assisted on 11 of his 16 field goals in the third frame. -79 to play a quarter of 4:06.

The 3 was 19-1 at 4:28 in game time, highlighted by a consistent effort to get the Los Angeles shooter off the line, gang rebounding, sitting in a stance, and an excellent defense that included contending without fouling. Finished off a run of 4.

Towns went out for the night at the 3:11 mark in the third, but surprisingly the night really started. Nas Reed appears.

The fourth-year combo frontcourt fixture is quietly entering a contract year with a lot of uncertainty given the All-NBA center ahead of him on the depth chart, but tonight, Finch’s rotation is consistent. Loudly announced his campaign to win the spot he did.

Reed joined forces with longtime teammate Jordan McLaughlin (who has maintained a strong chemistry since his days with the Iowa Wolves) and performed a sweet song on halfcourt. Reed opened fire to start the fourth, following a floater made in PnR alongside McLaughlin. He scored his four points in the team’s first of the frame to regain a 95–94 lead.

Clippers head coach Ty Lu let John Wall do the cooking and made five quick points for the Clippers before Wall left for work for the night. But the momentum he gave the Clippers fueled his 15-5 run as he led LA 108-100. Then everything changed.

boom.

Classic NFT (Naz Ferocious Tomahawk | s/o @jakesgraphs) reignited a Wolves offense that struggled to keep up with the spread and unselfish Clippers lineup. released to, grabbed the board, laid up a small defender, and got blocks all within 1:30 of game action, delighting the Timberwolves. . Two minutes later, he assisted another Rivers bucket, this time to tie the game, and quickly checked out to massive living room applause from the sick stranded for the Wolves’ comeback that pushed midnight in Minnesota. Did.

of LSUs The product had a team-high 20 points on 9/11 shooting, a game-high 11 rebounds, two dimes and two stocks in just 23 minutes of action. After failing to score a point in his first two games of preseason, Reid was in desperate need of a revived performance, but the regular has delivered it in a big way that should give him confidence heading into his season. Did.

When Reed leaves Denver Nuggets The import helped bring it to the finish line. Rivers then had a great play from Finch, where he fell for a layup on the call and Iowa legend Luca his Garza finished with a stunning goal to reach his line. two-way display.

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KAT’s back

As far as comebacks go, Karl-Anthony Towns’ preseason debut went as expected.

Towns looked noticeably thinner from the 258-pound frame he played in last season and struggled to put his feet under him in the first quarter. It held up. This is a time that no one could have predicted. Again, Towns wasn’t allowed to walk until last Saturday (a little over a week ago). It was most evident in his jumper early on, as Towns missed his 3-point attempts in the first quarter on both shortstops and found rhythm with the ball in his hands. I had a hard time.

He found it on last season’s go-to, Drive.

On four drives in the first frame he attacked the rim and converted a 2 and a 1 to go on another trip to the line and scored 8 points to build the flow and shore up the late Wolves attack in the beginning. I was.

Townes was left behind as Edwards and Forbes took the lead in the second quarter, but still fought on the board and found open teammates. A three-time All-Star, he shined in the third period, scoring his three-quarters from across the arc, and without flipping he recorded four key assists. He scored his 20 of his 28 points or assists for the Wolves while on the third floor.

Towns finished with a 19-point back line on 5/11 shooting (2/5 2 points, 3/6 3 points), 6/6 from the line, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in 26 minutes.

Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

ready

The Timberwolves have an argument made for them as the deepest roster in the NBA, and they reinforced it on Sunday night.

From Reed to Kyle Anderson, Nowell, Forbes and Garza, Finch and Co. got big plays at key moments from the team’s various role players. Everyone above is battling more time in their daily rotation, but they’re all playing altruistic ball and bettering those around them, starting with supporting teammates from the bench before going into the game. doing.

Anderson was great on the defensive perimeter and shone in the third quarter when he teamed up with the Clippers’ ballhandler alongside McDaniels. Each player picked up a steal on consecutive trips amid Minnesota’s big push.

Nowell was more responsible than anyone for leading the Wolves to their first lead. He entered the ball game in his third frame ready for the hoop. After assisting Towns 3, he drilled one of his own from Chaska away from his DHO with Towns and pulled into one. Nowell then scored his finish with a tough layup from D’Angelo’s feed from Russell and added a cherry to keep his run within 1 of his 5-2 personal. Transition finish to take the lead.

All in all, it was an unwarranted few minutes of team clinic each night over the course of an 82-game grind against opponents of varying playstyles. The promise of this team lies in how the coaches string together their lineups to counteract and take advantage of just about anything thrown at them. This makes for a very rare air in the NBA today.

game highlights

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