The Timberwolves Aren't Playing Down To Competition This Year

A few seasons ago, a game like Sunday's matchup with a team like the Utah Jazz might have made Timberwolves fans a little nervous.

Not because the Jazz were better than Minnesota. They weren’t. Utah entered the night with one of the worst records in the league, and the Timberwolves had already shown they could play with some of the better teams in the NBA. The concern was whether Minnesota would bring the same focus against a team it was expected to beat, especially with its leader, Anthony Edwards, still sidelined.

The Timberwolves answered that question with a 115-100 win at Target Center, their fourth straight victory and their fifth win in seven games without Edwards. Utah hung around for most of the night. Still, Minnesota never allowed the game to turn into the kind of frustrating battle that can happen when a better team lets its opponent hang around too long.

That’s probably the most encouraging part of Minnesota's current stretch. The Wolves aren't just finding ways to beat teams without their best player. They're taking care of business against teams they should beat.

That sounds simple, but it hasn't always been that way for the Timberwolves. In recent years, they've had plenty of games where an inferior opponent made things uncomfortable, especially when they weren’t at full strength. Sunday had some of those moments, but instead of allowing Utah's runs to dictate the game, the Wolves kept responding.

The Jazz actually made things interesting early, and the Wolves weren't exactly flying around offensively from the opening tip. Minnesota led 57-51 at halftime before finally creating separation in the late third quarter. A 12-4 run to end that period turned a tight game into a 90-78 Minnesota advantage heading into the fourth. 

Ayo Dosunmu has been a major reason why the Timberwolves have won four straight. He finished with 26 points on 7-of-13 shooting and knocked down four of his five three-point attempts, continuing an increasingly important stretch for him with Edwards out. 

LaMelo Ball was just as important. He scored 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting, hit four threes, and added five assists, giving Minnesota another offensive creator who can make something happen when the Jazz start to gain momentum. His ability to create his own shot has become especially valuable in making everyone else on the team better at what they do, and Sunday was another example of why the Wolves made the move.

The biggest difference, though, was that Minnesota didn't need everything to go right from its entire rotation. Jonathan Kuminga had his first genuinely rough night in a Timberwolves uniform. He finished with just four points on 2-of-5 shooting, didn't record a rebound or assist, and finished with a team-worst minus-10 in 25 minutes.

Kuminga didn't offer much offensively, and this was easily his least productive game since arriving in Minnesota. The Wolves still won by 15.

That's where this team's depth is starting to matter. When one player has an off night, somebody else has to make up for it, and Minnesota got that from its bench against Utah.

Trey Lyles has been shockingly solid. He scored nine points, grabbed six rebounds, and finished with a team-best plus-29 in his 21 minutes. His shooting, rebounding, and ability to keep possessions moving along smoothly gave Minnesota another steady option when the starters weren't completely in rhythm.

Bones Hyland brought a different kind of energy to the court tonight. He scored 14 points in just 13 minutes, shooting 4-of-8 from the field and knocking down a three. His instant scoring punch gave Minnesota another way to generate offense without asking LaMelo or Ayo to carry every possession, which becomes increasingly important when Edwards is unavailable. 

That's what made Sunday feel different from simply beating a bad team.

Minnesota didn't have to play its best basketball for 48 minutes. For stretches like the start of the third quarter, they played flat-out bad. They didn't need a big game from every player. It didn't even have to rely on one player to completely take over. 

When Kuminga struggled, Lyles and Hyland helped. When Utah made pushes, Dosunmu and Ball answered. When the starters weren't at their best early, the Wolves eventually found another gear. That's the formula Minnesota will need while Edwards works his way back.

There will be nights when Ayo doesn't score 26. Lamelo won't always shoot an efficient 50 percent from the field. Kuminga may have another game where things don't click, and there will be nights when the bench doesn't provide the same punch it did Sunday. The difference is that Minnesota is beginning to show it has enough pieces to survive those games.