Slow-Mo delivered 14 points, five assists, and four rebounds to co-star alongside Naz Reid (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Jaden McDaniels (20 points) to take down Cade Cunningham (32 points) and the Pistons.
The Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons entered this game on opposite ends of the standings. While the Timberwolves are looking to regain ground on the No. 1 seed and at worst cement themselves as a top-three seed, the Pistons yet again find themselves at the bottom of the standings. Like most games this time of the year, we were treated to some rather unique lineups between teams with very different goals.
Through a series of injuries and the nature of tanking season, the bulk of the Pistons roster consisted of players most fans have likely never heard of. Everything about this game screamed for a Wolves blowout win.
As the game started, though, Cade Cunningham apparently didn’t receive the memo that this shouldn’t be a game. Cunningham got off to a scorching start shooting 4-6 for 10 points in the first five minutes. He consistently shook his defender by snaking through the paint off a screen or using erratic movements off handoffs. Outside of a Rudy Gobert block on an elbow pull-up jumper, Cunningham was getting whatever shot he wanted.
On the other end of the floor, the Wolves couldn’t be kept out of the paint. Starting out shooting 7-8 overall and 6-6 in the paint, the Wolves were getting high quality looks possession after possession. The beauty of their looks too was that there weren’t exclusively isolation drives. Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels capitalized on well-timed cuts while Mike Conley sprinkled in his patented righty floater out of an empty corner pick-and-roll.
S L I M pic.twitter.com/DkYsyZKOAe
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 28, 2024
After nine minutes, it was a superb start for McDaniels and Reid who were tied for a team high eight points. McDaniels was active with his off-ball movement and knocked down a couple threes. Reid followed suit by abusing mismatches and lazy defense by consistently attacking the rim.
As the first quarter came to an end, the Wolves carried a five point lead up 30-25 and the Pistons showed exactly why they’re at the bottom of the standings. Despite Cunningham dictating everything on offense, he had a handful of gorgeous dimes that resulted in blown dunks and layups. Conversely, the Wolves built their lead despite having next to no bench production as Monte Morris was the only player off the bench to score in the first quarter.
After a first quarter that consisted of the Wolves getting to the rim whenever they wanted, the second quarter started out with a bevy of missed jumpers. Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker struggled to find their range as the team’s 3-point percentage continued to fall.
The Wolves still got whatever look they wanted when they attacked the lane, but their offense continued to look disjointed. Possession after possession, the offense settled for jumpers and lacked the necessary crispness. The typical drive-and-kicks that set up knock down shooters that we’ve become accustomed to seeing lacked their typical impact due to inaccurate passes. Shooters were consistently forced to change their base and adjust to erratic passes.
Two words. #RaisedByWolves pic.twitter.com/ypEVS0gQFQ
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) March 28, 2024
To avoid a half time deficit, the Wolves were once again bailed out by five quick points from Reid, which took to a game high 15 points on 7-12 shooting. While Reid was one of the few Wolves who showed up on the offensive end in the first half, Anthony Edwards was nearly a no show. Edwards finished the first half shooting just 2-8 overall and 1-4 from three for only five points. Edwards consistently settled for tough jumpers and rarely pressured the rim.
Unfortunately, the second half kicked off just as the first half ended: sluggish. Minnesota continued to play with zero energy and were getting out worked on both ends of the floor. After the first five minutes of the third quarter, Edwards still hadn’t broken five points and the bench had combined for just seven points. Additionally, Edwards’ left hand seemed to be bothering him as he lost control of the ball going to his left a handful of times. Keep in mind that Ant was questionable entering the game because of that sprained/dislocated finger on his left hand as a result of his poster dunk over John Collins.
While the Wolves continued to settle for jumpers, they were at least generating good looks. Whether it was on drive-and-kicks or pick-and-pop situations, shooters were consistently open. The problem was that they just couldn’t buy a shot as they were 5-25 from three with about six minutes remaining in the third.
AND ONNNEEEE!!! pic.twitter.com/y4JHqRzdTw
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) March 28, 2024
Just as we all expected, though, the end of the third quarter turned into the Kyle Anderson show. Anderson essentially took over the offense for a four-minute stretch knocking down multiple floaters to drive his scoring total up to 12. Anderson joined McDaniels and Reid as the only Timberwolves players to reach double digit scoring by the end of the third quarter. Spurred on by Anderson’s flurry of floaters and some tough buckets by Alexander-Walker, the Wolves carried a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Anderson’s offensive leadership carried into the fourth quarter and was the driving catalyst for the Wolves creating and maintaining a double-digit lead. As he headed to the bench for a much-deserved break, Alexander-Walker, McDaniels, and Reid took over the scoring responsibilities. McDaniels broke out his patented deceleration floater, which is eerily similar to Anderson’s, Alexander-Walker knocked down big shots, and Reid provided the necessary rim pressure. With Edwards sitting for most of the second half, the Wolves built up an insurmountable lead.
SLOWMO pic.twitter.com/egjo0SWeJ8
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 28, 2024
In the end, the Wolves’ talent and execution was too much. They continued to chip away and win the war of attrition. They refocused their shot selection and were intent about attacking the rim like they did early in the game. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was a win in a fashion that we’re not historically used to seeing from this franchise.
Reid finished with a team-high 21 points, 10 rebounds and four dimes, while Gobert added 11 points, a game-high 14 rebounds and four assists, McDaniels provided 20 points (his second 20+ point performance in his last four outings), Anderson delivered 14 big points, five dimes, four boards and a pair of steals.
Cunningham led Detroit with 32 points, while Jalen Duren added 11 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
The win was Minnesota’s 50th win of the season, the fifth time in franchise history the Timberwolves have eclipsed 50 wins — and the first since 2003-04, when the Wolves won a franchise record 58 games. Minnesota would need to go 9-1 over their final 10 games to break that record.
Key Takeaways
Kyle Anderson’s Offensive Spark
The Wolves’ offense looked anemic for essentially the entire night. Their shot selection was lazy and their passing was erratic. Despite being one of the more inconsistent offensive contributors all season, Kyle Anderson was the unlikely spark that pushed the Wolves through the muck.
Anderson was one of the few Wolves who consistently got to the rim and abused mismatches. Slow-Mo’s floater was falling at a tremendous rate, and he got wherever he wanted in the paint. Smaller defenders couldn’t handle Anderson’s size and strength, and bigger defenders couldn’t contain his handle, specifically his in-and-out dribble.
As Kyle’s rim pressure persisted, the Pistons were forced to send help defenders. Anderson continued to make the right read repeatedly by finding shooters on kick-outs. These kick-outs led to open looks from three and a series of offensive rebounds as the Pistons scrambled to contest shooters.
On a night where Edwards was essentially a non-factor and the bench couldn’t find its groove, Anderson stepped up as the offensive catalyst. Without his execution and persistence, the Wolves may not have pulled away as comfortably as they did.
After the game, Head Coach Chris Finch echoed the importance of Anderson tonight. Finch said that Anderson’s ability to consistently get to the heart of the defense and make the right play was huge. Finch also praised Anderson’s ability to do a bit of everything, but really emphasized the importance of how Slow-Mo has been able to knock down timely buckets, especially tonight.
Same Old Problems or Just an All Around Off Night?
The issue with past teams was their tendency to play down to their competition. We all know how detrimental it was to their record last season, and tonight felt like old habits resurfacing. Cade Cunningham is phenomenal, but there isn’t much else on this Pistons team that should’ve kept this from being an early blow out. Even though most of this game was closer than it should have been, this didn’t feel like old Wolves’ performances.
Instead, it felt like a confluence of everything that could go wrong did. As a team, they shot just 11-35 (before garbage time). Edwards was a complete no show, and the general energy of the team wasn’t there until it needed to be. And that’s the difference.
When the Timberwolves had to turn it on, they did. Even when their stars didn’t rise to the occasion, they had the experience, depth, and versatility to pull away with a comfortable win. In the past, the Wolves would’ve lost this game by 15. Instead, they simply looked like what most good teams look like against bad teams this time of the year. They played like they didn’t take the Pistons seriously while Detroit played like a bunch of guys who are desperate for a win and a roster spot next year. When the time came, the Wolves overcame their shortcomings and found a way to win comfortably.
Minnesota’s offense has been far from consistent all season, but tonight was one of many examples of how their defense continues to rise to the occasion. After the game, Finch said that he told the team that this was a must win game for them and when looking at who needed it more, the answer was clear. Finch also emphasized how important Anderson was tonight and that Rudy Gobert, who finished a game high +20, was the MVP of the game. Finch reiterated that Gobert’s ability to make interior scoring incredibly difficult for the Pistons and keeping plays alive on the offensive end with rebounds and tap outs was the difference maker.
Finch also made sure to praise the continued offensive growth of Jaden McDaniels. McDaniels has been far from a consistent offensive contributor this season, but he has started to find his rhythm in recent weeks. Finch said that a driving cause for McDaniels’ offensive form has been his decisiveness. McDaniels also shared those feelings as he said that he’s “just trying to not make the game more complicated for (himself).”
In McDaniels’ recent games, and especially tonight, his decisiveness has been evident. When the shot was open, McDaniels let it fly. When a defender closed out hard, he attacked the paint. When McDaniels is contributing on offense like he did tonight, this team immediately becomes far deadlier than their season long offensive rating suggests.
Up Next
The Wolves hit the road for a one-game trip against the Denver Nuggets before returning to Target Center for a three-game set — all against opponents with records of .500 or worse.
Fans can catch Friday’s 8 PM CT tip on Bally Sports North.
Game Highlights