Anthony Edwards only needed three quarters to score 41 points as the Wolves won their league-leading eighth straight game.
The last time the Minnesota Timberwolves lost a basketball game was on February 28 against the Utah Jazz. Tonight, the Wolves took on the same Jazz team, looking to avenge one of their worst losses of the season.
The Timberwolves came out of the gates on a mission to erase the narrative that they struggle against teams at the bottom of the standings as they dominated much of the first quarter on their way to a 19-point first quarter lead.
ANT SLAM pic.twitter.com/p0CwoPEZYo
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) March 16, 2025
Edwards finished the first quarter with 21 points, passing Andrew Wiggins for third on the Timberwolves career scoring list, now only behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Kevin Garnett.
Minnesota would let go of the rope at the end of the first quarter and into the second quarter, allowing the Jazz to go on a 17-2 run over a five-minute stretch. During the run, the Jazz would make seven out of eight shots while the Wolves would turn the ball over three times and miss five of their six shots.
The Timberwolves would grab control of the game back, immediately building the lead back to 17 points before a pair of 3-pointers from Lauri Markkanen cut the Wolves’ lead to 62-51 at halftime.
Minnesota was able to put their foot down in the third quarter for good, outscoring Utah 37-25 in the frame to build the lead up 23 points heading into the fourth quarter. Edwards was again outstanding in the period, scoring 16 points, giving him a total of 41 for the game.
Anthony Edwards isolation pull-up 3 pic.twitter.com/vOCQ6ileYC
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) March 17, 2025
The Wolves pulled their starters early in the fourth quarter as they cruised to their eighth straight win by a final score of 128-102. Along with Edwards, Jaden McDaniels was outstanding for the Timberwolves, putting up 20 points and 12 rebounds. Collin Sexton led the Jazz in scoring with 22 points.
Key Takeaways
Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Jaden McDaniels Continues His Ascension
Through the first couple months of this season, Jaden McDaniels was in one of the longest prolonged slumps of his career. On one end, his All-NBA caliber defense was not showing itself as often, while on the other end he was largely relegated to the corner as he put up only 9.6 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Given it is the first year of a five-year $136 extension, McDaniels often drew ire from fans as the worries grew that he would not live up to the lofty goals that his contract says that he should.
All of changed at the turn of the New Year as McDaniels’ game has exploded as he has averaged 15.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game since the calendar turned to 2025. Jaden has no longer been relegated to the corner offensively and has had the best rebounding stretch of his career.
Finch talked about the game about what McDaniels has become over the past few months.
“Yeah, thought it was really good tonight, both ends of the ball. He’s becoming an ascending player or a guy that, I don’t know whether he’s our two or three, it doesn’t really matter. He really finds a way to impact the game. His stat line is continually impressive, but what I like is a lot of the little things that don’t show up on the stats, his energy plays, his extra effort plays, his physicality when need be. He’s just playing with so much confidence and even if the ball doesn’t go in or doesn’t come his way, he’s still ready to kind of make the play when it does happen.”
One change for McDaniels has been no longer settling for jump shots on the perimeter and catching a pass with the intent to attack the paint. McDaniels spoke in the locker room about trying to be a step ahead of the defense when the ball swings to him.
“Just trying to run through the pass and it makes an advantage for you and kind of puts them down before they can get to you.”
While McDaniels has seen a small increase in the effectiveness of his 3-point shot, the main difference in his offensive game has been the variety of where his points have come from. Jaden is scoring way more points in the paint and has used his size to knock down midrange shots and layups around bigger defenders.
Ant put it best when asked what McDaniels has become, “Everything we need.”
Taking Care of Business Against Lesser Teams
For much of the Timberwolves’ season, they would struggle with effort and energy in games against teams toward the bottom of the standings. Early season losses against the Portland Trail Blazers twice and the Toronto Raptors have held the Wolves back from breaking into the top six of the Western Conference standings.
Tonight, aside from a rough stretch in first and second quarters, the Wolves took care of business against a tanking Jazz team, allowing their starters to rest for nearly the entire fourth quarter. A limited minutes are especially valuable on the first night of a back-to-back as the Wolves play again at Target Center tomorrow night.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch spoke after the game about the energy of the team to start the game.
“Yeah, loved our start. It’s what we asked the guys to do defensively more than offensively. And that’s where I thought we were really good. Then we turned a lot of really good offense. I thought we could have had better offense. We just got a little loose in transition with the ball. Then we did a good job regrouping after we lost focus a minute and then we kind of built on it with another really good third quarter start.”
In the locker room after the game, Edwards discussed his start to the game and his mindset about scoring early and often.
“For sure. I wanted to go for like 60. I thought I was on pace after the first quarter, but you know when you sit a little bit you get kind of cold. I missed like four or five threes I usually make in the second and that’s still on my mind. I’m definitely mad about that.”
In so many ways during this eight-game win streak (the franchise’s longest since 2004) the Wolves have flipped so many narratives about the begging of the season in the complete opposite direction.
Whether it be Julius Randle and Mike Conley turning their seasons around, winning close games like the one last night against the Orlando Magic, or professionally taking care of business against a tanking, the Wolves are starting to show signs that the ceiling many fans and experts thought this roster had before the season may still exist.
Up Next
The Timberwolves are back in action tomorrow to take on the Indiana Pacers, looking to extend their league-leading eight-game win streak. The game tips off at 7:00 PM CT, airing on FanDuel Sports Network.