Julius Randle was trying to keep a straight face while discussing the Minnesota Timberwolves’ season-defining 141-125 road win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
“We held them to three points for a long time,” Randle said, talking about the Wolves defense as Anthony Edwards shouted in the background.
“Yeah, I’m the best in the world,” Edwards yelled off-camera. “Go tell all the girls.”
Randle tried to continue his thought but could no longer maintain his stoic demeanor. Randle lowered his head as he laughed.
“He’s crazy, just crazy,” Randle said as Edwards continued shouting in the background.
Randle is right: Edwards is crazy. But Edwards also went crazy in Memphis. In a way, the entire season hasn’t made sense. However, when the game came down to the fourth quarter and the game was closer, Chris Finch and the Wolves went back to their reliable veterans to close the game out.
Edwards undoubtedly fueled the Wolves, scoring 44 points in the first three quarters and displaying remarkable efficiency. He went 13 of 19 from the field and 7 of 11 from distance. Edwards started the game on fire, scoring 13 points in the first quarter, attacking the defense, and matching Memphis’ frantic offensive pace.
He also dropped 13 points in the second quarter. Edwards was in attack mode and chose his spots perfectly. He knew when to launch a 3 and when to barrel head-first into the defense to draw fouls. Most impressively, Edwards leaned into Memphis’ pace, something the Wolves have struggled to match in earlier matchups.
In the first half, Edwards played with a 111.6 pace rating (pace reflects how many possessions a team has in a 48-minute game), 13.6 possessions per game higher than Minnesota’s 98.0 season average.
Edwards’s ability to adapt to Memphis’ game plan kept the Wolves close at halftime, and they only trailed by five, 72-67. Then, Edwards went up another level in the third quarter. He scored 18 points playing all 12 minutes. Minnesota outscored the Grizzlies by 27 and set a franchise record by scoring 52 points in a quarter.
The Wolves scored so frequently because they leaned into the game’s pace. As the third quarter began, Memphis’ game plan became evident. They continued trying to outrun the Wolves, which has been wildly effective for opposing teams this season. In a faster-paced game, Minnesota often settles for poor shots and allows easy rebounds, meaning they are out of position to set themselves up in transition.
Think of it this way. Suppose Randle and Rudy Gobert are near the rim, and Jaden McDaniels is in the corner when Edwards launches a deep three. Randle, Gobert, and McDaniels would have disadvantages in getting back on defense, especially if the opposing team leaks a guard out in transition the second Ant squares to shoot.
The difference in this game was that the Wolves made 45.5% of their 3s, attacked the rim, were patient in their offense, and moved the ball if a shot wasn’t available. Minnesota’s ball movement prevented players from leaking out, allowing McDaniels or Randle to be out on the perimeter or above the break to get back easier in transition.
However, Minnesota’s most crucial change in the game came in the fourth quarter. After scoring 44 points in the first three quarters, Edwards only took two shot attempts in the fourth. Instead, the Wolves relied on Mike Conley to grind the game to a crawl. He was involved in nearly every play in his eight minutes in the fourth, and Minnesota’s pace fell to just 93.0, a remarkable 18.6 possessions slower than the first half.
Finch’s trust in Conley is nothing new. Still, he had been going more to his superstar Edwards for large parts of the season. However, Finch ultimately returned to his floor general in a season-defining game.
It’s been Finch’s go-to all season long.
“Sometimes, we might go away from what we know is really, really good,” Finch said on media day, referencing his clutch offense, “and that’s Mike Conley.”
Eighty games into the season, Finch returned to what he knows works: Conley can seal a game when needed.
Conley’s stats don’t jump off the page. Still, he finished with three points, one rebound, and three assists in the fourth quarter, which amounted to the Wolves going plus-1 in his minutes. His three assists created six points, including Gobert’s game-sealing dunk. According to PivotFades analytic tracking, he had 0 bad passes in eight minutes.
Edwards went crazy in Memphis, but Conley’s ability to control the game sealed it for Minnesota. The Wolves hold their destiny in their hands. If they beat the Brooklyn Nets and finish the season by beating the Utah Jazz, they will be the sixth seed and avoid the play-in. That would mean a series against the Los Angeles Lakers, where they will need all the crazy Edwards can muster and Conley’s closing.