Minnesota Timberwolves overcome slow start to defeat Memphis Grizzlies: Anthony Edwards dominates once again

After trailing 14-0 in the first 3 minutes of the game, the Minnesota Timberwolves turned things around and eventually came out on top, as they defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 110-101 at Target Center thanks to a heroic performance by Anthony Edwards.

The Timberwolves are having a successful year after a rough 2022-23 season. Minnesota went 42-40 last year and it looked like the Rudy Gobert trade was an awful move, as he didn’t impact the game which caused internal frustration, most notably when him and Kyle Anderson fought on the bench.

However, fast forward to today and they now reached their win total from last season in only 59 games. They are one of the best defensive teams in the league and hold the top spot in the Western Conference. Things are looking up in Minneapolis and they have their eyes on making a deep playoff run.

Anthony Edwards is the leader of this squad, and tonight he scored 34 points on 52% shooting. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds with 3 made triples while Rudy Gobert had 8 points and 8 rebounds. Jaden McDaniels recorded 12 points with 3 blocks while Naz Reid provided a spark off the bench with his 19 points.

For the Grizzlies, Jaren Jackson Jr. had a monster game as he finished with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 steals. Ziaire Williams had 16 points and 8 rebounds while GG Jackson scored 14 points off the bench. Vince Williams Jr. and Santi Aldama each scored 11 points.

This win improves the Timberwolves to 42-17, which makes them 1st in the Western Conference and giving them a 0.5 game lead over the OKC Thunder. Every game is crucial for the top 4 seeds in the West so this was a massive victory for Minnesota after a slow start to the match. The Wolves are on a 3-game winning streak and 8-2 over their last 10, so they’ll look to keep up this momentum on Friday against the Sacramento Kings.

Memphis falls to 20-39 on the year, making them 13th in the Western Conference. If the season ended today, the Grizzlies would land the 6th overall pick, which would allow them to add a promising young rookie to their young, star-studded core of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane. Memphis is 2-8 over their last 10 games and will play against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.