Further proof came in Salt Lake City Saturday night:
When the Timberwolves defend — really defend, with aggression, energy and physical play — they can compete with anyone.
Which brings us back to the Wolves' game in Utah against a Jazz team that owns the best record in the NBA and a home record bordering on the ridiculous.
How's this for ridiculous? The 44-16 Jazz have lost four home games this season. Two have come to the Wolves. The Wolves were porous for the first 12 minutes and all but impenetrable over the final 36. Down 17 early, and down 16 midway through the second quarter, they spent the rest of the game playing some of its best defense of the season in a 101-96 victory.
"Absolutely. One hundred percent,'' Wolves coach Chris Finch said when asked if this was the best sustained defense he'd seen from the team this year. "And it all starts with our willingness to use physicality to get into the ball.''
In practice earlier in the day rookie Anthony Edwards joked that he was a defensive back. Well, Saturday, in addition to scoring 23 points and kick-starting the team's comeback with a seven-point second quarter, Edwards had nine rebounds, four assists and five of Minnesota's 13 steals.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 24 points with 12 rebounds. D'Angelo Russell had 23.
It's just took some time. In the first 12 minutes the Jazz hit 14 of 24 shots overall and nine of 15 three-pointers while scoring 40 points.
Utah managed just 56 points over the final 36 minutes, shooting 19-for-58 and making 10 of 31 three-point attempts.
It really began in the second quarter, when the Wolves finally started defending.
"We had a sense of urgency,'' said Josh Okogie, who helped slow Jazz point guard Mike Conley (5-for-15 shooting, four turnovers). "That first quarter wasn't fun. They laced up those threes from everywhere.''
That changed. The Wolves started defending. Finally the offense clicked, too, coming out of a timeout with 3:56 left in the first half with the Wolves down 16.
Edwards had seven points as the Wolves ended the quarter on a 12-2 run.
The third quarter started with more of the same, as the Wolves, down six, started the second half on a 20-7 run, with Edwards scoring eight and Towns six. Edwards' three-pointer with 4:53 left in the quarter put the Wolves up 72-65, marking a 32-9 run from the time the Wolves were down 16 in the second quarter.
The Wolves were still up eight, 82-74, entering the fourth after outscoring Utah 56-34 over the second and third quarters.
The Wolves found themselves up 11 with 7:06 left after Edwards drove for a score.
Out of a timeout, though, Bojan Bogdanovic hit three three-pointers in a 12-0 run, and his 27-footer with 3:41 left put the Jazz up 93-92.
The Wolves didn't crack. They just kept playing defense. Towns hit a 4-foot hook. After a Jazz turnover Russell hit a 19-foot jumper for a 96-93 lead.
The Wolves never trailed again, finishing the game on a 9-3 run.
Bogdanovic scored 30 points. Conley had 18.
"It's a testament to the young guys coming in prepared,'' Towns said.
The Wolves (17-44) get a rematch with Utah in Minneapolis Monday. But maybe they've found something. Three straight quarters of stellar defense against one of the league's best teams … has something clicked?
"Hopefully,'' Edwards said. "I can't determine the future. Hopefully.''
The Star Tribune did not travel for this game. This article was written using the television broadcast and video interviews before and/or after the game.
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