Naz Reid spoke on what it took to steal a win in Golden State after Saturday night’s 102-97 rock fight to take a 2-1 series lead.
“Defense. Defense,” Neid said. “Stuff happens, not gonna play perfect for 82-plus games, so you have to figure out how to dog the game out and win it.”
Naz would bring up defense again when reflecting on the game moments later.
“We didn’t play the best basketball ourselves.” Reid continued. “(It was a) junk game, so you got to compete on the defensive side, get the ball at the highest point, all that good stuff. Charges, all that, diving on the floor.”
Minnesota has been a defensive team for years. Last year, they finished as the top-ranked defense (108.4). They took a slight step back this season, finishing with the sixth-best defensive rating in the league (110.8).
The emphasis on being great on defense has been there all season, regardless of the small drop in production. But now that the playoffs are in full swing, Minnesota’s defensive identity and a certain player getting better at the right time are winning them games when it matters most.
Among all teams that made the playoffs, Minnesota’s defensive rating ranks third (106.2), 4.6 points better than their regular-season average. That’s 2.2 points better than last season’s top-ranked defense.
Minnesota’s ability to control the game’s pace is a large reason for this. Entering the playoffs, the Wolves had the fifth-lowest pace of play, at just 97.95 possessions per game. In the playoffs, that number has decreased to 92.94, which still ranks fifth-slowest among playoff teams.
To some extent, the slower pace is a result of playoff basketball in which the rules change to allow for more contact, and possessions become crucial. However, the Wolves intentionally slow things down to get set in the half-court and take care of the basketball.
Despite the increased physicality in the playoffs, the Wolves still manage a 1.80 assist-to-turnover ratio and a 14.3% turnover percentage, nearly identical to their regular-season totals of 1.81 and 14.6%. That highlights that the increase in physicality is not causing them to turn the ball over more often than usual.
For example, the defending champion Boston Celtics had a 2.20 assist-to-turnover ratio in the regular season and saw that dip to 1.47 in the playoffs. Their turnover percentage also changed from 12.2% in the season to 14.6% in the postseason.
That’s important when it comes to defense because turnovers are the most common play that leads to transition or fastbreak scoring. By slowing the game down and not turning the ball over at any higher rate, the Wolves are second-best in the playoffs by only allowing teams to score 11.0 points off turnovers per game. They are also first in opponents’ fastbreak points with 9.1 per game, which is especially impressive given the Wolves allowed 14.2 points in the fast break during the season.
The other glaring change with Minnesota’s defense is its effectiveness as a unit. The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State only shot 43.3% against the Wolves, 2.7% worse than the regular season. The Timberwolves are forcing 1.1 more turnovers per game than in the regular season despite having 5.01 fewer possessions.
These changes have mostly come due to a seemingly leveled-up Jaden McDaniels. His defensive rating is a stunning 103.8, and he plays 34.9 minutes per game, usually matched up against the opposing team’s best offensive player. McDaniels guarded Luka Doncic in the Lakers series, Steph Curry in Game 1, and Buddy Hield or Jimmy Butler with Curry out.
McDaniels matched up on Doncic as the primary defender for 37.09 minutes in the first series. He shot 46.2% from the field and was 4 of 14 from distance, well below his 36.8% season average. Now, Butler and Hield are facing similar lockdown defenses. They are 3 of 17 from the field, with McDaniels guarding them, and 2 of 9 from a distance.
“I’ve been doing the same things I’ve been doing during the regular season,” McDaniels said, regarding the difference in his consistency this postseason. “I just came out ready right now.”
The Timberwolves limit turnovers to slow transition opportunities and decrease their fastbreak scoring. Coupled with Minnesota’s ability to play well at a slower pace and overall defensive success, that mindset has taken easy points off the board for opposing teams.
McDaniels’ ascendance as one of the premier defenders in the league has given the Wolves a way to win games regardless of how their offense performs. The Warriors won’t have Curry until Game 6 at the earliest, so they will likely continue to force the Wolves into junk games, which may play exactly into Minnesota’s hands.