It was supposed to be an easy win for Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night. But even against one of the worst teams in the West last year (the San Antonio Spurs), the Timberwolves dropped the ball and led to one of the biggest upsets of the young season.
At the end of four quarters, it was the Spurs who came out on top with a final score of 113-103. The Spurs took a narrow 5-point lead into halftime and managed to expand the margin by 8 by the end of the third quarter. It was a surprising final result, to say the least, and fans were shocked to now see the two teams with identical records.
“With Chris Paul and Jeremy Sochan clicking, Wemby still forcing the hand of the opposition, and Keldon Johnson with a major contribution off the bench, the Spurs created more havoc than expected in this one,” one user wrote on X.
The Spurs, who are now 3-3 on the season, enjoyed the usual greatness from Victor Wembanyama. His fingerprints were all over the game on both ends of the floor with 17 points (7-13 FG), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks in 27:46 minutes. It was a true masterclass for the young star and the fans made sure to give him his props.
“Victor Wembanyama’s presence at the rim is really impacting the Wolves at-the-basket offense,” a fan mentioned on social media. “It’s also having an impact on the other side of the floor — because missed/blocked layups lead to easy offense.”
Young forward Jeremy Sochan had arguably his best game of the season so far with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists on 7-10 shooting from the field. The early signs have been very positive for him this season and it’s looking like he may be a long-term piece for their future.
On the other side, the Minnesota Timberwolves continue a rather underwhelming start. After their run to the West Finals this past May, we all assumed they’d be ready to take another step up in the West. So far, that just hasn’t been the case and it’s led to some major disappointment.
“Game 6 of the season and media and fans are already going with “schedule loss” My gawd have we become soft,” wrote a fan on X. “Truth is this team has no identity or anything that separates themselves for all the other good to mediocre teams in the league. Gonna be a long year.”
Despite the loss, Anthony Edwards had a fine game with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists (8-17 FG). He was the leader on offense for the Wolves and he did everything he could to get the win tonight. Sadly it wasn’t enough and some are starting to wonder if he needs to take another step up.
“Anthony Edwards continues to be an average player on the 2nd night of back-to-backs,” stated one X user. “I’m aware they played the Nuggets tight down the stretch but to go into San Antonio and just lay down is just not cool.”
Timberwolves newcomer Julius Randle has been a controversial addition to the team but he’s found ways to make himself useful as a scorer and shot-creator. Tonight, he was identical to Edwards in terms of scoring with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists on 53.3% shooting. Unfortunately, his defense just wasn’t up to the task.
“Julius Randle playing typical trash defense and is getting cooked by Harrison Barnes,” as one critic put it on social media. “Get used to it Wolves fans. His defense has always been disinterested in that end of the court.”
These two teams should be on opposite trajectories right now given that one team was 14th in the West last year while the other made a run to the Conference Finals. But their first showdown this season suggests that they may be closer than originally thought.
Only time will tell how the season holds up for these teams but with the margin of error so slim in the West any extended bad stretch of play could make the difference between a top-six seed and a spot in the play-in. Tonight was a game the Timberwolves should have won, even against a Spurs team that is off to a surprisingly good start.
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