THE Minnesota Timberwolves concocted a successful recipe against Utah Jazz Saturday to win despite the absence of Karl-Anthony Towns or Rudy Gobert on the field.
Take a lot of Anthony Edwards, add a big pile of Mike Conley, and add a wholesome side of Naz Reid.
To keep pace with Western Conference leaders Denver and Oklahoma City, Minnesota may have to rely on a version of that formula again Monday night in Salt Lake City in a quick rematch with the short-handed Jazz.
Edwards scored 31 points, surpassing Kevin Love’s franchise record with 26 30-point games in a season, and Mike Conley scored a season-high 25 points in his return to Utah. Conley played at Utah with Rudy Gobert, who missed Saturday’s 119-100 victory with a sprained left rib.
Naz Reid added 22 points with four 3-pointers, 12 rebounds and five assists to help the Timberwolves (46-21) pull away from the Jazz after a 48-48 halftime score.
“Someone has to step up every night,” Edwards said. “It may still look like me, but tonight it was Mike too.”
Edwards played the second half after twisting his right ankle when he stepped on Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks’ foot. He finished with five 3-pointers and made 12 of 20 baskets.
“Ant was special, honestly. He really did it,” Conley said. “Just seeing him develop throughout the season is incredible. Like tonight, he made a bunch of plays that he wouldn’t have made during the first part of the year.”
Conley also made five 3-pointers.
“It’s a perfect storm, I’m trying to replace guys and it’s given me a good rhythm,” he said. “I was more aggressive looking for my shots more, getting closer to the paint and getting to the free throw line.”
The Jazz (29-38) struggled in the second half while playing at home for the second straight night. They held on for a 124-122 win over Atlanta on Friday, but ran out of steam against Minnesota after a lackluster first half.
Utah played again without Lauri Markkanen (quadriceps) and Jordan Clarkson (groin). The rebuilding Jazz rested Chris Dunn (Friday) and John Collins (Saturday), giving more opportunities to young players like Hendricks, Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh as well as G-League call-ups Johnny Juzang and Micah Potter .
Collin Sexton led Utah with 22 points Saturday and George finished with 18 after three straight games with 25 or more points.
The Jazz, who have lost four of their five outings and 12 of their 15 games, lost their third game against Minnesota this season. They have never been swept by the Timberwolves in a four-game series.
“It’s plain and simple tonight, we didn’t pass the ball,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “There’s 30 possessions where you can point out where multiple people are open and we’re just forcing that. We have to go back to understanding who we’re playing, understanding how they want to guard.”
–Field level media
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