Defense, the eternal barometer of Vukov
By taking advantage greatly reduced WarriorsTHE Wolves thus they were able to end the black streak – the longest of their season – of five defeats in a row. “This team forgets a lot of things”, Chris Finch officiatedwho thought mainly about defense. This has been a recurring theme in Minnesota for several years.
In the regular season, Wolves’ concentration and intensity are not always optimal. The problem: the team can’t afford to because, as soon as the buzzer drops, Rudy Gobert and his teammates are in danger.
Figures for this financial year 2025/26. year easily demonstrate this: when Minnesota concedes 107 points or less, it’s a guaranteed win: 14 games, 14 wins. The opposite effect: when a team allows their opponent to score more than 115 points, the record is just 5 wins for 14 losses.
“We have to have a sense of urgency”reminds Naz Reed. “Our activity, our confidence sets the tone for others”adds Rudy Gobert, talking about himself, but also about Jaden McDaniels.
When they defend, they are “a great team”
Which is sometimes forgotten, according to Chris Finch. “Energy must be present night after night”insists Donte DiVincenzo. “We will miss shots and lose balls, we will have absences. But for the team to be tougher than us is unacceptable.”
The fact has been established for two seasons, and even today: the salvation of the Wolves will come through the defense. “We have the talent, we have the system and the coaches. We have everything we need, but we have to play hard and have energy all the time.”continues the last.
Did the easy win against the Warriors serve as a shock? As is often the case with Wolves, a slump is followed by a burst of power, rather surely another small slump, which will cause a reaction…
“Hopefully we understand that’s what we have to rely on. That’s what we have to do every night. If we can do that every night, good things will happen.” announces the French headquarters. “Maybe we don’t always play well, we’re not always skilled, but if we’re in a hurry, if we have a level of intensity in defense, starting with our leaders and the others, then we’re a great team.
| Shots | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | That | Pd | Bp | Int | Ct | Ft | Pts |
| Anthony Edwards | 37 | 35:08 | 49.9 | 41.0 | 79.3 | 0.6 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 29.7 |
| Julius Randle | 47 | 33:26 | 49.0 | 32.9 | 81.4 | 1.6 | 5.4 | 7.0 | 5.4 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 2.7 | 22.2 |
| Jaden Mcdaniels | 45 | 10:05 p.m | 50.8 | 42.3 | 84.7 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 14.8 |
| Naz Reid | 47 | 26:13 | 47.1 | 39.0 | 76.1 | 1.1 | 5.2 | 6.3 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 14.3 |
| Donte Divincenzo | 47 | 31:54 | 41.4 | 38.0 | 77.3 | 1.0 | 3.6 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 13.4 |
| Rudy Gobert | 45 | 31:36 | 71.3 | 0.0 | 51.5 | 3.8 | 7.5 | 11.3 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 2.8 | 10.9 |
| Bones Hyland | 38 | 13:58 | 45.5 | 35.8 | 66.7 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 6.7 |
| Mike Conley | 41 | 18:28 | 32.9 | 32.5 | 89.1 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 4.6 |
| Terence Shannon Jr. | 22 | 12:49 | 39.5 | 40.5 | 77.8 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 4.5 |
| Jaylen Clark | 44 | 14:11 | 42.2 | 27.9 | 66.0 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 4.0 |
| Rob Dillingham | 34 | 9:28 | 33.1 | 36.4 | 75.0 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 3.5 |
| Joan Beringer | 21 | 6:46 a.m | 65.2 | 0 | 50.0 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 3.0 |
| Leonard Miller | 18 | 5:03 | 54.5 | 8.3 | 63.6 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 2.4 |
| Johnny Yuzang | 18 | 4:00 am | 42.4 | 23.8 | 62.5 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 2.1 |
| Joe Ingles | 15 | 4:16 | 50.0 | 40.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.7 |
2026-01-28 14:48:00
