#minnesota-timberwolves

#minnesota-timberwolves

How should we grade coaches?Unlike players, their impact is a bit more nebulous.They don't actually step on the court and get buckets, as Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said after a collapse in the fourth against the Lakers this past season."I'm not the savior here.I'm not playing.I'm watching, just like you guys."

The Los Angeles Lakers made a big splash on the day before the NBA trade deadline (and three more splashes on the day of) by agreeing to a three-team deal that saw them send out Russell Westbrook and a top-four protected, 2027 first-round pick in exchange for former Laker DeAngelo Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves, guard Malik Beasley and wing Jarred Vanderbilt from the Utah Jazz.

SAN FRANCISCO Golden State has been teetering the playoffs and play-in line and knew how badly it needed to beat the New Orleans Pelicans, who entered Tuesday just a half-game behind the Warriors in the Western Conference standings.And while the focus wasn't all there in the first half, the Warriors, propelled by Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole, overcame a 17-point halftime deficit to pick up a much-needed 120-109 win over the Pelicans.

Following a shocking 111-109 loss to the Rockets, the Boston Celtics look to get back in the win column on Wednesday, March 15 with a battle against the Timberwolves from the Target in Minneapolis.Boston had one of its biggest letdowns in the season in Houston on March 13, ceding 72 points to the trio of Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., and Kenyon Martin Jr. and wasting a 43-point outburst from Jaylen Brown.

Celtics "We didn't have a sense of urgency, and we weren't rewarded tonight."The Celtics dropped a lackluster loss to the Rockets on Monday, falling 111-109 in the second contest of their six-game road trip.Here are the takeaways.1.If the Celtics' run of blown double-digit leads brought fans five minutes from midnight on the panic meter, Monday's loss to a team firmly lodged in the lottery did nothing to resolve tensions.

Yesterday, the Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat, 94-89 in Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals to win their first-ever NBA championship.While the Washington Wizards didn't win the championship, some of the players and coaches on Denver's team once were in D.C. Let's take a look below:


Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (2021-22) - In Washington, KCP averaged 13.2 points per game in 77 appearances and shot 39 percent from the three point line (159-of-408 attempts).

With free agency rapidly approaching the Washington Wizards could be looking to round out their roster, particularly around franchise cornerstone Bradley Beal.Luckily for them there is one player in the free agency pool that fits that description to a T.
The type of player that would fit Bradley Beal the most is a player who can move the ball, stretch the floor to a certain extent but doesn't have to be elite, put pressure on the rim even as a shooter, and above all be an elite defensive presence.

The Toronto Raptors need to get through this last chunk of regular season games with as few interruptions and poor performances as possible, as Fred VanVleet and the rest of the squad are running out of chances to gain ground in a significant fashion.Winning against the Oklahoma City Thunder was a nice start to this late stretch.

The Washington Wizards will end their road trip facing the Minnesota Timberwolves before the All-Star break.The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET to be televised on NBC Sports Washington.Being on the road, the Wizards are a +3 underdog and the over/under is 235.5 according to DraftKings Sportsbook.Interesting how the Wizards are not the favorites with a full roster while Minnesota most likely won't have their two biggest men on the court tonight.

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson is expected to make the final USA Basketball 12-man squad named by Steve Kerr to play in the 2023 FIBA World Cup scheduled to take place later this summer in Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines.Basketball insider Marc Stein broke the news in a Tweet published on Sunday, and he confirmed his report on Monday morning as part of his latest newsletter ($).

Austin Reaves has already parlayed his breakout season into a big contract in the coming weeks once free agency starts, but now he'll take another step in his career.According to a report from Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Reaves will take part in the FIBA World Cup with Team USA.Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards, Indiana Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves, Brooklyn Nets small forward Mikal Bridges, Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson have committed to play for Team USA, league sources told The Athletic.

Jimmy Butler once swore he would never play in a Miami Heat jersey, but he says now that he intends to retire with the franchise.Prior to the start of the 2023 NBA Finals in Denver, Butler was asked by ESPN's Malika Andrews about an interview he gave when still a member of the Chicago Bulls, in which he said he'd never wear a Heat jersey.

Celtics The guard completed his bachelor's degree in general studies this year, 27 years after he last played for the Huskies.It's not often that a college graduate walks across the stage to receive his diploma with his retired jersey hanging in the rafters above.Of course, it's not often that someone like Ray Allen comes along, either.

9:34 PM ET



Nick FriedellESPN Staff Writer

CloseNick Friedell is the Chicago Bulls beat reporter for ESPN Chicago.Friedell is a graduate of the S.I.Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and joined ESPNChicago.comfor its launch in April 2009.CLEVELAND -- The New York Knicks are headed to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time in 10 years after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-95 on Wednesday night in Game 5 of their first-round series.

(Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press)

Austin Reaves got the basketball on a dribble handoff from Anthony Davis with Patrick Beverley trailing on the Lakers' guard hip.Reaves took three dribbles into the lane and shot a runner over Beverley.Then came the moment of moments from the rapidly improving and evolving Reaves.

The Warriors have been begging for anyone to step up for these the last few weeks of the season.The Dubs' big three Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green needed reinforcement.The team, as a whole, needed a push.And just in time, someone has come through.Jonathan Kuminga has flashed his prodigious talent before this past week it's impossible to hide that athleticism.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The Lakers are still alive in the NBA playoffs, tied at one game apiece with the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals.Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley are no longer part of the team this postseason after being dealt by the Lakers before the NBA's trade deadline in February and landing on teams that are done for the season.

The three friends and former teammates gathered at the free-throw line waiting for the results, the hope of D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley that the officials would let the foul call stand in favor of the Lakers before the third-quarter buzzer had sounded.The call stood after a review, allowing Vanderbilt to shoot two free throws with 0.6 seconds left in the quarter after he had been fouled by Draymond Green, two free throws he made for an 85-79 Lakers lead at the end of the third.

SAN FRANCISCO The Warriors' title winners always knew where that proverbial switch was.They were just too polite to bring it up to openly acknowledge that knowledge.The 2022-23 Warriors might not be a squad built for league domination or supervillainy, but Golden State's core three players Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson are still a group that, under Steve Kerr, has never lost a Western Conference playoff series when all three players are healthy.

SAN FRANCISCO Klay Thompson slammed his cup on the podium, peeved to be answering questions from media about the Warriors' late-game execution issue.Two costly turnovers and some unideal shot selections in the fourth quarter's waning seconds flipped what should have been another Warriors home win into a 99-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night.

The Toronto Raptors welcomed the Minnesota Timberwolves to Scotiabank Arena tonight as they attempt to climb in the standings during the last weeks of the regular NBA Season.With nearly similar records and placements in the East and West, it's crunch time for both these teams.The T-Wolves came into this game undermanned, missing Anthony Edwards after he suffered a bad ankle injury last night.

These are the types of games the Nets are going to have to get used to.The gritty, ugly, grind-it-out performances have become part of the fabric of the identity the Nets must assume if they're going to salvage the second half of what was once a season with championship expectations.That's what it took to get back on track and secure a 124-123 overtime victory over Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.

Wednesday's ESPN doubleheader has snuck up on you again.There are two excellent games on the docket with the Dallas Mavericks (36-39) facing the Philadelphia 76ers (49-25), and then the NBA champion Minnesota Timberwolves (39-37) taking on the Phoenix Suns (40-35).These are four professional basketball teams and both games should be competitive late into their fourth quarters.

The Junkies reported a scoop on the sale of the Washington Commanders this morning on their show on 106.7 the Fan.Brian Davis, who played college basketball at Duke, and professionally for the Minnesota Timberwolves, has made a cash offer of $7 billion to buy the team from Dan and Tanya Snyder.This offer was reportedly made last week, and Davis is said to have up to $9 billion available through a group of investors.

SAN FRANCISCO The Warriors' wait for Gary Payton II's return could soon be over.Six weeks after he rejoined his former team via trade, Payton might finally suit up for Golden State this weekend.Payton scrimmaged Friday and went through a light practice Saturday, coach Steve Kerr said.He's listed as probable for Sunday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, meaning he'll warm-up with the intention of playing.

The Miami Heat, sort of, have a great handle over their own eventual fates at this particular moment.Dropping crucial games to the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets in recent weeks, the Miami Heat now have an opportunity to, not only, make up for those losses, atoning for their mistakes against the New York teams but also while possibly surpassing, at least, one of them in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Miami Heat reportedly pursued both Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell over the 2022 off-season.And earlier today, Ethan Skolnick of the 5 Reasons Sports Network said on the Miami Heat Beat that Mitchell "was a little concerned about playing with Jimmy Butler."On the HangoverTime Postgame Show last night, @EthanJSkolnick of @5ReasonsSports dropped a bomb about Donovan Mitchell not being too keen on playing with Jimmy"Yes, he wanted to play with Bam, we heard that he was a little bit concerned about playing with Jimmy."

The New York Knicks (42-31) could have boarded a plane to Florida riding a four-game winning streak but they will have to conform with having won three of their last four after dropping Monday's affair 140-134 to the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves (36-37) at MSG.The Wolves entered the world's most famous arena without Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, both injured.

The Minnesota Timberwolves came to Madison Square Garden without the services of Anthony Edwards or Karl-Anthony Towns.They left conquerors, 140-134 over the New York Knicks.Sometimes the music means more than the meaning, and that was the case with this one: it sucks that the Knicks lost, but this game was headline after headline after headline, three spinning newspapers in one.

After the 1994-95 NBA season, the Washington Bullets faced a crossroads.The team had been sub-par going on 15 years, ever since the days of Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld and Bobby "Greyhound" Dandridge.The '95 campaign ended with the Bullets having two obvious strengths and one glaring hole.Their frontcourt was stacked between Chris Webber and Juwan Howard, both only 21.

The Miami Heat walked into a buzzsaw on Saturday evening, heading into the Chicago Bulls' United Center to face off against a hungrier-than-expected Bulls unit.After a double overtime matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, it was suspected that the Chicago Bulls might be a bit fatigued heading into the contest.

The Toronto Raptors are not necessarily going to be in a position of strength when negotiating with point guard Fred VanVleet.The latest NBA rumors suggest that the point guard market around him isn't going to be super deep, with only a few players capable of replacing his production.One of those players is Los Angeles Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell, a potential Raptors trade target once upon a time that was shipped back to LA from the Minnesota Timberwolves at the deadline.

Felton Spencer, a longtime NBA center who played two seasons with the Knicks, died Sunday at age 55, his family announced.The former first-round pick out of Louisville died "peacefully, " said his sister, who did not disclose a cause of death."It was befitting that he received excellent care in his final hours from the providers at the University of Louisville Hospital, his Alma mater that he loved so dearly," Tammy Pollock tweeted.

When: Thursday, February 16 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
How to watch: NBC Sports Washington
WIZARDS - None.TIMBERWOLVES - Kyle Anderson, QUESTIONABLE (back); Rudy Gobert, QUESTIONABLE (groin); Karl-Anthony Towns, OUT (calf)
The Washington Wizards' "Big 3", if only they showed up majority of the season, could actually rip apart teams just like they did with the Portland Trail Blazers previously.

The Washington Wizards beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 114-106 on the road Thursday night.It is a true character win as the team heads off to the All-Star break.If you watched just the first quarter of the game, you would have been tempted to turn the television screen.The Wizards were losing by as many as 20 points in the first half, especially after a rancid first quarters, where they were down 36-21.

It was just like a Wizards game only in reverse.The Minnesota Timberwolves bolted out to a 20-point first quarter lead, and then Washington clawed back a bit at a time.The Wizards chomped the lead to just four points in the third quarter before letting it balloon back to 17 late in the period.The fourth quarter was all Washington as the Wizards doubled up the Timberwolves, 38-19.

Kristaps Porzingis and the Wizards didn't have any answers on defense Friday against Quentin Grimes and the Knicks.(Patrick Semansky/AP)The Washington Wizards' 115-109 loss to the New York Knicks on Friday exemplified their big issue as they try to climb the Eastern Conference standings and improve their postseason positioning: They can't depend on their offense alone.

The hits just keep coming for the Los Angeles Lakers.After news leaked that LeBron James likely won't return for at least two weeks, head coach Darvin Ham said it's unlikely that trade deadline acquisition D'Angelo Russell will play in the team's next two games.While speaking with reporters before the Lakers take on the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, Ham said that Russell would likely miss the team's Wednesday matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder in addition to the Grizzlies game:

Darvin Ham says that it's doubtful that D'Angelo Russell (ankle) will play on either of the final two games on this road trip in Memphis today or Oklahoma City tomorrow.-

OKLAHOMA CITY The Warriors have maintained the position that once they're healthy and full again, they'll have no issue turning their game up another notch.In fact, coach Steve Kerr reiterated that point the other day in pregame.We believe that if we are whole, we can beat anybody because we've proven it, Kerr said Tuesday.