That rebounding clash included 11 offensive rebounds from the Wolves. Minnesota was led by Anthony Edwards (36 points and six assists), along with Karl-Anthony Towns (29 points and 13 rebounds). Game 2 of the series is on Tuesday.
Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane believes his team needs to play more physical against the Timberwolves in Game 2, according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Memphis lost 130-117 in Game 1 on Saturday, allowing Minnesota to shoot 50% from the field and win the rebound battle 46-35.
The young Timberwolves are establishing themselves as a problem this year, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. Minnesota has gained confidence as the campaign moves on, showing potential by defeating Memphis (30-11 home record) on the road in Game 1.
The Timberwolves overcame a foul-plagued outing by Karl-Anthony Towns to beat the Clippers in the play-in tournament. Towns says he’ll be just fine as the team prepares for its first-round series with the Grizzlies, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes. “I’m not tripping at all. In a good space,” Towns said. “Just good to get past the last two days and I’m ready to go.”
Towns says he’ll play smarter against Memphis. “I got a more clear role for what they want me to do in the playoffs,” he said. “So I’m very confident, feel very good.”
We have more from the Northwest Division:
Timberwolves reserve guard Jordan McLaughlin never left the bench in the play-in game but he’ll have a role against the Grizzlies, coach Chris Finch told Hine in a separate story. McLaughlin will take any minutes he can get. “I’m a team player, so when my number is called, I’m going to be ready to go and do whatever I can to help my team win,” McLaughlin said. “If it’s not called, I’m still going to help my team win, cheering on the bench, talking to guys, telling them what I see and stuff like that. It’s never about me.”
Thunder guard Luguentz Dort anticipates he’ll be fully recovered from shoulder surgery by training camp, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Dort believes he’ll be back to 100% during the next two to three months. Dort is eligible for a contract extension and could become an unrestricted free agent next summer. “I’m going to let my agent handle it,” Dort said of a possible extension.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is pumped about the franchise’s future, Mussatto writes in a separate piece. He’ll enter the first year of his five-year max extension next season. “We have that trust in each other,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, referring to the front office and coaching staff. “I can’t go into details, but we’re excited for the future.”
Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley has been fined $30K by the NBA for “inappropriate statements during a media interview and on social media, including the egregious use of profanity,” the league announced (via Twitter).
Beverley made the comments following Tuesday’s 109-104 play-in tournament victory over the Clippers, which secured the No. 7 seed in the West for Minnesota. He said the win was extra special after spending four seasons (2017-21) as a Clipper before being traded twice last offseason, initially to Memphis, then to Minnesota. He failed to come to terms on extension with the Clippers in 2021 prior to being traded, calling the team’s offer “borderline disrespectful.”
“I gave my blood and sweat and tears to that organization,” Beverley said, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “You guys know the story. Blood, sweat and tears, to just be written off like that, ‘He’s injury-prone. He’s old.’ This, this, that, that. To be able to come here and play them in a play-in and beat their ass, no other feeling, man. No other feeling.”
Beverley also said after the game that he told his former Clippers teammates to “take (their) ass home,” adding that he “f—ing told y’all” the Timberwolves would make the playoffs.
In his first year with the Wolves, the 33-year-old averaged 9.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.2 SPG and 0.9 BPG, with a shooting line of .406/.343/.722. Beverley signed a one-year, $13MM extension with Minnesota in February, so he’s under contract through 2022/23.
Beverley was just fined $25K a couple days ago after he was ejected from the team’s regular season finale against Chicago. However, since he’s earning $14,320,987 this season, the combined $55K in fines won’t put much of a dent in his pocket.
Game 1 of Minnesota’s series against Memphis, the No. 2 seed, is set to tip-off Saturday at 2:30pm CT on ESPN.
Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley told reporters after Tuesday’s game vs. the Clippers that it was extra special to clinch a spot in the playoffs by beating his former team. Beverley was a Clipper from 2017-21 but wasn’t happy with the extension offer he received from the club last offseason and was eventually traded, initially to Memphis, then to Minnesota.
“I gave my blood and sweat and tears to that organization,” Beverley said, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “You guys know the story. Blood, sweat and tears, to just be written off like that, ‘He’s injury-prone. He’s old.’ This, this, that, that. To be able to come here and play them in a play-in and beat their ass, no other feeling, man. No other feeling.”
The Clippers, who will have one more chance to secure a playoff spot on Friday, remain fond of Beverley and miss him, as Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times writes. Clippers star Paul George said after Tuesday’s loss that it was obvious Beverley’s “energy and his persona” had rubbed off on his Timberwolves teammates.
“I know what it was coming into this game. I wasn’t going to allow Pat to do his antics and try to get me flustered,” George said. “I knew it’s all for show. It’s for the crowd. Gets the crowd involved. I love it. I love it. I miss it. He did it on our side because it’s contagious. I think when he’s in that mode, it ignites the team, ignites the arena. You need energy guys like that.”
Here’s more on the Wolves, who are ticketed for a first-round matchup with the No. 2 Grizzlies:
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic takes an in-depth look at a November 5 team meeting – led by Beverley and dubbed a “monumental moment” by Karl-Anthony Towns – that Timberwolves players view as a turning point in their season. As Krawczynski details, Beverley directly asked each player in the locker room about their role on the team. “Guys looked around, and we were kind of uncomfortable at first,”Jaylen Nowell said. “We never really had that type of situation, that type of vet that did that.”
While Sachin Gupta remains the Timberwolves’ head of basketball operations, he still has an interim title for now, as team ownership has yet to announce who will hold that job on a permanent basis, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. For what it’s worth, Gupta received a glowing review from newly-extended head coach Chris Finch on Monday. “He’s a good person,” Finch said. “We’re philosophically aligned. We trust each other. We don’t try to do each other’s jobs. He’s got a very appropriate presence around the team. He’s done a really good job of bringing stability, great energy to the whole building.”
The Timberwolves’ core pieces are in place and their 2022 playoff berth shows they’re on the right track, but they still have a ways to go before they can be considered legitimate title contenders, says John Hollinger of The Athletic. In Hollinger’s view, improving the forward spots should be the top item on Gupta’s offseason to-do list, and the club should be willing to trade a draft pick or two if necessary to make it happen.
More than three years before Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler led the Heat to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference this season, they were almost traded for one another, Adebayo said during a recent appearance on J.J. Redick’s Old Man and the Three podcast.
According to Adebayo, his name came up in trade talks in 2018 when the Heat were exploring the possibility of acquiring Butler from the Timberwolves.
“You heard the Minnesota situation,” Adebayo told Redick, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “And it’s crazy, because I almost got traded for Jimmy, to Minnesota. … (team president) Pat (Riley) wouldn’t trade me. Like he was, ‘Nah, I see something good in this kid.’ Yadda, yadda, yadda. And, at that point, I’m sweating bullets. Like, I’m not trying to be traded. I like it in Miami. It’s warm. I kind of got my feet wet. I’m familiar with the place.”
According to Winderman, the Heat’s offer to Minnesota in 2018 ended up revolving around Josh Richardson, Dion Waiters, and draft picks. The Wolves instead sent Butler to the Sixers, who flipped the veteran swingman to Miami less than a year later in a sign-and-trade deal involving Richardson.
Here’s more on the Heat:
In an interview with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Heat wing Max Strus discussed his recovery from a 2019 ACL tear, his experience in Miami, and his long-term career goals. Strus – who is under contract with the Heat for one more season before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2023 – said he’s taking things year by year but would “love to be here” long-term. “I think it’s been great for my career, and I think I’m a good fit for the Heat and what we do here,” he said. “I try not to get too caught up in that because you never know what’s going to happen.”
While the March 23 sideline spat involving Jimmy Butler, Udonis Haslem, and head coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t look good, the Heat were able to quickly move past that incident and have no regrets, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I could have been a little more cool-headed,” Haslem said on Cari Champion’s podcast. “Jimmy could have been a little more cool-headed. But I don’t think neither one of us regret that situation. Because you look at the type of basketball we’re playing now. A couple of days later, we were back drinking wine together.”
After returning to the court last month following a long recovery from quad surgery, Victor Oladipo appeared in just eight of the Heat’s last 17 games and only played 20 or more minutes three times. However, he showed just how valuable he can be by averaging 30.5 points on 60.6% shooting in his final two games. As Winderman writes in another Sun Sentinel article, the Heat will face a tough decision on how and when to insert Oladipo into a crowded rotation for the postseason. “I don’t have no control with that,” the two-time All-Star said. “If my number is called, I’ll be ready.”
April 12th, 2022 at 7:29pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum
The NBA has fined Timberwolves starting point guard Patrick Beverley $25K as a result of “improper conduct” toward a referee during the final seconds of Minnesota’s final game of the 2021/22 regular season, the league announced in a press statement (via Twitter).
As a result of his conduct during the end of the club’s eventual 124-120 loss to the Bulls on Sunday, Beverley was assessed a technical foul and ejected from the contest.
Beverley and the 46-36 Timberwolves are set to face off against the veteran guard’s previous team, the 42-40 Clippers, tonight in a play-in contest to determine who will become the No. 7 in the West and face the Grizzlies in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. Beverley had a well-traveled 2021 offseason. L.A. initially traded the 6’1″ vet to the Grizzlies, who then rerouted him to Minnesota.
In his first year with the Timberwolves, Beverley enjoyed a resurgent season. A starter in 54 of his 58 games, the 33-year-old averaged 9.2 PPG, 4.6 APG, 4.1 RPG, 1.2 SPG and 0.9 BPG, with a shooting line of .406/.343/.722.
April 12th, 2022 at 6:58pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum
Timberwolves reserve forward Taurean Prince will miss Minnesota’s play-in game on Tuesday against the Clippers, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link). Prince is struggling with right knee inflammation.
In 69 regular season games, Prince averaged 7.3 PPG and 2.5 RPG across 17.1 MPG during his first year with the Timberwolves. The 28-year-old boasts shooting splits of .454/.376/.756 this year. In the absence of Prince, 6’9″ power forward Jaden McDaniels may see an uptick in his minutes off Minnesota’s bench.
Sporting a 46-36 regular season record, the Timberwolves enter the play-in tournament as the No. 7 seed and will be fighting L.A. for the right to play the second-seeded Grizzlies in the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs. The loser of tonight’s meeting will play the victor of tomorrow’s play-in game between the Pelicans and Spurs for the West’s eighth seed.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finchsigned a multi-year extension on Monday and the team’s top executive was glad to lock him up long-term, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. “He’s just a joy to work with,” executive VP of basketball operations Sachin Gupta said. “I think the results on the floor are clear, just the drastic improvement from last year to this year, with really little change to the roster. I think he and his whole staff deserve a ton of credit for that.” Finch said, “I feel like there’s a pathway we can see to keep getting better and better. I’m just really excited to be able to say that these guys believe in what I’m doing.”
A year ago, the NBA scheduled its first two Eastern Conference play-in games for the Tuesday after the regular season ended, with both the Western Conference games taking place on the Wednesday.
The league has tweaked that schedule this time around — Tuesday’s slate of games will feature one from each conference, with the Nos. 7 and 8 teams all in action. The Nos. 9 and 10 teams in both conferences will play on Wednesday.
That means we’ll know by the end of the night on Tuesday which two teams will claim the No. 7 playoff seeds, securing first-round matchups against the Celtics in the East and the Grizzlies in the West.
The Nets are eight-point favorites over the Cavaliers in the first of Tuesday’s play-in games, according to BetOnline.ag, and for good reason. The game will be played in Brooklyn, where Kyrie Irving is now eligible to play despite not having received a COVID-19 vaccine. And after a strong start to the season, Cleveland didn’t play well down the stretch, posting a 9-16 record since the All-Star break.
Injuries will also be a factor in this game. Irving and Kevin Durant are both healthy, which is more than can be said about the Cavs’ All-Stars. While Darius Garland is good to go, center Jarrett Allen continues to battle a fractured finger and there’s pessimism he’ll be available on Tuesday. Ben Simmons and Joe Harris will be sidelined for Brooklyn, but the Nets have gotten used to playing without those guys — Harris hasn’t played since mid-November and Simmons has yet to make his Nets debut.
Over in the West, the Timberwolves will host the Clippers after finishing four games ahead of them during the regular season. Still, BetOnline.ag only lists Minnesota as a three-point favorite for the time being.
The Clippers are getting healthy at the right time, which is one reason why they’re viewed as a candidate to make a little noise in the postseason. Kawhi Leonard continues to recover from his ACL surgery, but Paul George has been back in the lineup since late March and Norman Powell returned last week.
Winning in Minnesota will be a tall order for L.A. though. The Wolves have been one of the NBA’s most dangerous teams since the new year, having gone 30-16 following a 16-20 start to the season. The trio of Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D’Angelo Russell has been tough to stop on offense, while Patrick Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt helped anchor an above-average defense.
We want to know what you think. Which teams will win Tuesday’s play-in games and become this season’s No. 7 seeds?
Vote in our poll below, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
The Timberwolves have signed head coach Chris Finch to a multiyear contract extension, the team announced today in a press release. The assistants on Finch’s staff have also been extended.
Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link) first reported that Finch and his coaching staff were receiving multiyear extensions. According to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link), Finch signed a three-year deal with a fourth-year option.
A former assistant coach in Houston, Denver, New Orleans, and Toronto, Finch took the reins in Minnesota midway through the 2020/21 following Ryan Saunders‘ dismissal. He guided the Timberwolves – who got off to a 7-24 start – to a 16-25 finish last season, then helped take the club to another level in ’21/22.
Minnesota finished this season with a 46-36 record, good for seventh in the Western Conference. It’s the Wolves’ second-best record since 2004 and puts them in position to earn just their second playoff berth since then, assuming they can win a play-in game this week.
“Chris has done a tremendous job creating stability and consistency for this franchise and building a winning mentality,” the Timberwolves said in a statement attributed to their ownership group. “We look forward to supporting him throughout the years while he continues achieving the goals he and his staff have set out for the team.”
The Wolves are in the midst of an ownership transition, with Glen Taylor planning to hand majority control over to Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore in 2023. Finch’s extension – and the statement from team ownership – is a strong signal that he has the full support of Rodriguez and Lore in addition to Taylor.
Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (