Thanks to an increasingly potent offense, Minnesota has put together a string of victories going into Monday’s rematch with Utah in Salt Lake City.
The Timberwolves have won four of their last five games while scoring 122 or more points in each of those victories. Minnesota has put on an offensive clinic in each of its last two games, obliterating the opposing defense both times.
In their first meeting with the Jazz on Friday, the Timberwolves opened NBA Cup group play by running away with a 137-97 victory in Minneapolis. Minnesota led 43-15 after one quarter and shot 56.8% from the field and 47.2% from 3-point range for the game.
All-Star guard Anthony Edwards scored eight of his team’s first 10 points and tallied 14 during the first quarter alone.
“I wanted to set the tone,” Edwards told the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Julius Randle earned a triple-double against the Jazz, tallying 19 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. His all-around effort complemented a 37-point outing from Edwards.
Utah had no answer for Edwards, who was in his second game back after missing four contests because of a hamstring strain.
“He’s our leading light, and he’s got to be aggressive, and he’s got to be himself,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said of Edwards after Friday’s win. “And I thought he played quick and clean.”
It was more of the same in a 144-117 victory over Sacramento on Sunday. Minnesota shot 53.6% from the field and 39.1% from 3-point range. The Timberwolves scored 37 points off 18 turnovers and had 32 fast-break points.
Edwards once again set the tone, scoring 26 points — including five 3-pointers. He was one of seven Minnesota players to reach double figures.
“He’s a great scorer. He can do it from all three levels,” Jazz coach Will Hardy told SI.com on Friday. “I think his athleticism in getting jump shots off is really special.”
Utah faces a stiff challenge in trying to contain Edwards, Randle and their supporting cast. The Jazz defense has been porous since losing Walker Kessler to a season-ending shoulder injury.
In each of their six losses, Utah’s opponent has shot 47% or better from the field. The Jazz also have been slow starters defensively, allowing 36.8 first-quarter points over their last four losses.
On the other end, the offense has come up empty when answers were needed.
Lauri Markkanen struggled profoundly in the first go-around against the Timberwolves — scoring a season-low 12 points while shooting just 28.6% from the field (4 of 14). It offered a sharp contrast to how Markkanen played in October when he had four straight games with 32 or more points, including a 41-point game in a home overtime win over Phoenix on Oct. 27.
While Utah seems to rise and fall with Markkanen, Keyonte George has been a bigger indicator of success. The Jazz are 2-2 when George scores 25 or more points, and they have won just once when he fails to hit 20.
