The NBA regular season continues with the Timberwolves taking on the Hornets on the road. Since the start of the new season, the Timberwolves have a record of 14 wins and 4 losses, ranking first in the West!Led by the twin-tower combination of Towns + Gobert, the Timberwolves have a defensive efficiency of 1059, ranked first in the league!In recent times, the team has been plagued by injuries, limiting opponents to the league's No. 1 shooting percentage, and McDaniels will miss about 1-2 weeks due to a sprained ankle. In addition, Edwards, the absolute core of the team, suffered a hip injury and was unable to play in the last game against the Jazz and continued to miss this game. However, the biggest surprise of the Timberwolves is the Twin Towers, Towns averaged 22 points and 9 rebounds per game this season, with a three-point shooting rate of 50%+41%+91%, and entered the 180 club!
And Gobert ranks among the top five in the league in many advanced statistics such as card position, cover assists, and interference shots, which is already the best defensive center in the league!The opponent Hornets started the game 6-11 with a defensive efficiency of 1209, the bottom of the league, as the core of the team, the three-ball Ball also suffered an ankle injury, and it is a pity that in the first 4 games of the injury, Ball averaged 35 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists per game, but in Charania's words, due to the three-ball Ball suffered a serious sprain in his right ankle, he is expected to be out for a long time!The Hornets started this game: Rozier + Brandon Miller (this summer's list) + Hayward + Bridges + Marvey (Mark Williams), and the Timberwolves starters: Conley + Troy Brown + Alexander Walker + Towns + Gobert.
At the beginning of the game, the Timberwolves were full of firepower: Towns hit the board, Gobert caught the back dunk in the air, the Hornets couldn't get into the Timberwolves inside at all, and Gobert and Towns directly built the Great Wall of the inside. After that, Towns and Brown rained three-pointers, and the Timberwolves went on a 10-0 run. After Bridges stopped the bleeding with a three-pointer, Rozier countered for a layup, Miller also hit a three-pointer, Towns missed the shot, and Gobert continued to knead the Hornets inside. Conley continued to score three points in the middle of the period, Hayward hit a mid-range shot to stop the bleeding, Lee Kyle fed the cake Reid to continue to hit a three-pointer, fed the cake Gobert to follow up the dunk, Bridges relied on a single to stop the bleeding, and Richards and Ismael Smith led the Hornets to narrow the gap at the end of the quarter. At the end of the first quarter, the Timberwolves led the Hornets 30-23.
Back in the second quarter, Rozier and Washington led the team to counterattack, the Timberwolves relied on Reed and Towns to finish, and Bridges led the team to quickly chase down only 2 points. At the critical moment, Li Kaier hit Miller on the list, completed 2+1, and then Li Kaier made a rebound!Bridges dunked in the air, and Reed and Hayward traded three-pointers. The Timberwolves were unable to open up the difference, mainly because they were constantly counterattacked by the Hornets, and the Hornets defended well in front of them, preventing Towns from receiving the ball. Rozier hit a three-pointer in the second half, Hayward made a kill, Gobert dunked to vent his anger, and both teams scored points at the free throw line at the end of the quarter, and at halftime, the Timberwolves led the Hornets 62-59, Reed scored 14 points alone, and the Hornets' Hayward scored 15 points.
At the start of the second half, Gobert and Downs took turns to play back, Downs scored three points, the twin towers connected Gobert dunked, and the Hornets called a timeout. In the middle of the Hornets, Ma Wei used the rebound and the strong attack under the basket to chase consecutive points, Downs had no missed shots, Washington and Hayward blossomed inside and out, plus Miller counterattacked and dunked, and the Hornets magically overtook the score!In the second half, Gobert made a rebound, Reed hit a three-pointer in the bottom corner, Miller responded with a three-pointer, Bridges counterattacked and dunked, and the score rose alternately. At the end of the quarter, Gobert continued to make baskets, and Rozier also hit a shot, and after three quarters, the Timberwolves led the Hornets 88-87. Gobert was full of offensive desire in this game, but the Timberwolves had no other scoring points other than Gobert + Reed + Towns.
In the fourth quarter, Rozier hit a three-pointer, Lee Kyle and Reed made consecutive kills, Washington and Bridges rained down three points in succession, Towns responded with three points, and Gobert dunked Ma Wei. At the decisive moment, Towns hit another three-pointer, Gobert stood on the free throw line in a row, Rozier stepped back for a three-point lead, and Brown immediately responded with a three-pointer. Gobert defended Washington, and Conley and Towns scored four straight points. In the last 2 minutes, Rozier made a three-point foul, Conley completed 2+1, Gobert successfully defended Bridges, and then Bridges grabbed 5 points in a row, but Walker made two free throws to seal the win. In the end, the Timberwolves narrowly defeated the Hornets 123-117 and ushered in a four-game winning streak!Hornets stats, Bridges 22 points and 4 assists, Rozier 23 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds, Hayward 17 points and 3 assists, Washington 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
Timberwolves statistics, Towns 28 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, Gobert 26 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks, Conley 14 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists, Reed 23 points and 5 rebounds, Lee Kyle 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Lacking McDaniels, the Timberwolves can make up for it with their overall defense, but in the few games that Edwards has been missing, the Timberwolves have a little difficulty on the offensive end, Towns is easy to be trapped, and Conley has no sense at all, but fortunately, Gobert stepped up on the offensive end in this game, plus the breakthrough of the Hornets at a critical moment, all of them were intercepted by Gobert, which was too strong. After this game, the Timberwolves are 15-4, tied for the first place in the league with the Celtics, and at the same time shook off the Nuggets Thunder and rode the dust in the West!
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