Timberwolves 125, Hornets 110: Second Straight 4th Quarter Run Downs Charlotte

Jaden McDaniels scores 29 as the Timberwolves win their third straight game.

After a 4th quarter surge last night to beat the reeling Philadelphia 76ers, the Minnesota Timberwolves hopped on a plane and head to the east coast to take on the Charlotte Hornets. While it is another brutal traveling back-to-back, the Wolves escaped Minnesota just in time as the Twin Cities experienced 7+ inches of snow from last night to this morning – on to greener pastures and temperatures that could be in the 80s.

With the Western Conference Race as hot as it’s ever been, every win counts and you cannot afford to drop a winnable game when it could be the difference between a guaranteed playoff series and scrapping your way through the play-in tournament.

Jaden McDaniels led the way early on for the Timberwolves as he propelled the offense during a closer game. He had 7 early points, including 2 offensive rebounds and putbacks. Naz joined the party later on as there was a concerted effort to push the ball, he got a few easy baskets in transition.

After a closer start, the Wolves went on a 15-2 run to break out a 14-point lead in the first. The Hornets recovered some but the Timberwolves maintained their double-digit lead after the first. Both Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels had 12 points in the quarter.

The Charlotte offense got back on track some to start the second quarter, hitting some shots from beyond the arc to keep the game closer. While the Timberwolves defense was subpar, the offense kept pace with good buckets coming from the Rob Dillingham-Julius Randle two-man game.

Anthony Edwards kept his hot streak going, hitting a couple of 3-pointers down the stretch, but the Hornets continued their good offense, combined with the foul fest that this period became, kept them in it. Ant, Jaden, and Naz combine for 44 of the 65 first half points and were able to keep their lead at seven points with 24 minutes to play.

And NAW got to return the favor to DDV from last night.

Jaden McDaniels started off the third quarter strong for the Wolves, getting in his bag en route to 14 of the first 16 points of the period. Ant took the baton from Jaden halfway through the third, adding to the growing lead and getting it all the way up to 20 points. The Hornets made a run capped by a Seth Curry circus shot to beat the buzzer as Minnesota led 97-83 heading into the fourth.

The 4th quarter barrage hit on back-to-back nights as the Hornets cut the lead to 14 before a 10-0 run by the Wolves put the lead back up above 20. Minnesota went a little cold down the stretch but the Wolves put the game away after Ant hit two free throws and then a 3-pointer to down the Hornets’ last gasp. It was a good win on a tough travel schedule.

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Key Takeaways

Jaden McDaniels Forcing his Will

Jaden McDaniels was doing whatever he wanted to do tonight. When you think of a player asserting themselves offensively, you think of how Julius Randle does it: with sheer size and strength. Jaden McDaniels did it a different way tonight. He got to the shot that he wanted whenever he wanted to take that shot.

He finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals and went 3/9 from deep. The 3-point volume was a little higher than he usually is at, but he only took the shot when he wanted to take it. Otherwise, he is getting to the paint and hitting his patented turn around mid-range jumper. Beautiful basketball and if you missed it you have to check out the highlights.

Winning the Turnover Battle

Following the Timberwolves, the topic of turnovers can be a sore subject. In this one, it was the Hornets fans that had to rip their hair out because of the boneheaded TOs.

Minnesota only turned the ball over six times to Charlotte’s 15 and outscored the Hornets 18-2 in points off turnovers. Early in the game, there was a focused effort to push the ball and get out and run. DDV helped to spur the troops and the rest of the team followed suit. When the squad gets out in transition, good things happen.

Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

Back-to-Back 4th Quarter Surges

The game last night against Philadelphia was close until the Wolves kicked into gear in the 4th quarter with a barrage of 3-pointers. The same script unfolded tonight in Charlotte. Minnesota was keeping it a little too close for comfort before a lightning quick 10-0 run put them up by 22 in the 4th quarter.

While it did get a little uncomfortable at the end, this run is ultimately what put the game away. Donte DiVincenzo led this charge with a couple of highlight plays as the Timberwolves shut the door on tired legs.

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Up Next

The Minnesota Timberwolves will travel to the beaches of Miami to take on a new look Heat squad with a different former Timberwolf leading the charge for a Friday night matchup at 7 PM CST on FanDuel Sports North.

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Game Highlights