Minnesota had no mercy on some Jazz that are not going through their best moment, much less. Those from Salt Lake City suffered their fifth consecutive loss at the Target Center, falling by a clear 126-106, a result that allows the Timberwolves to balance their balance of results (25-25) and continue dreaming of reaching direct access positions to playoffs.
After a relatively even first half, the game ran out of history following the break, as the locals began to open distances with little opposition from Quin Snyder’s men. With a run of 20-5, the Minneapolis managed to take their lead above 15 points, a barrier that would practically never come down and that would allow them to live a most placid close, limiting themselves to maintaining the advantage achieved. With no hint of a comeback on the visiting side, the last quarter served as a mere formality to certify the victory and to give rest to the most important men.
Among them was of course Karl-Anthony Towns, who with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists managed not only to be the best of his team, but also to sign the second triple-double of his career. The center had not reached this record since December 28, 2016, the day he finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in his team’s visit to Denver. On this occasion, the one from the Timberwolves managed to stand out more in scoring, as his 16 points in the third quarter allowed him to shine in that aspect and made him key in the partial that left the match sentenced.
“If I have reached the necessary assists it is because of my teammates, so I have to give them credit,” he said. “Today happened thanks to them.”
Jaden McDaniels, with 22 points (personal record) and a perfect 9/9 shooting from the field, was one of the pleasant surprises of the night, and acted as Towns’ squire to help his team win the game without too many problems. Anthony Edwards, meanwhile, did not have his best night, but managed to finish third in scoring with 15 points.
English joins the casualty list
For the Jazz, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley led their team with 23 and 22 points respectively, while Jordan Clarkson added 17 off the bench. However, his contribution was not enough to compensate for the losses of Donovan Mitchell, absent for the seventh consecutive night, and Rudy Gobert, who has missed 9 of the last 14 games. The difficulties of those from Utah in this stretch of the season cannot be understood without going to the injured list, a list that received a new name this morning.
Joe Ingles had to head to the locker room following twisting his knee in an attempt to penetrate the basket, a very dangerous action that might cost him several months off. The Australian will undergo more tests later today to determine the extent of the injury, but the feeling in the franchise is not too optimistic regarding it.
(Cover photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
