The Wolves eliminate the Hawks

The day after a humiliating loss at home against the ClippersThe Wolves regained the momentum, and the joy of playing, with a 138-116 victory against the Hawks without their best player, Jaylen Johnson. One way meeting.

The match begins in a special atmosphere for Wolves, who have three losses in four matches. Less than two minutes into the break, Donte DiVincenzo hit a 3-pointer off a pass from Jayden McDaniels. A seemingly innocuous basket, but symbolic of a team looking for a reaction after a night without a player address.

From the first possessions, the tone was set: Minnesota emphasized ball movement and quick decisions. The Wolves continue the action by sharing the ball, a clean break with a very individualistic game recorded during the previous match. Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards set the example, and Jaden McDaniels is the one who is finding his basketball at the same time (18-13).

Reid and Gueye clash…

The Hawks are weakened, but CJ McCollum is on fire with 18 points in the first quarter! The turning point in the match comes between the end of the first quarter and the middle of the second, when the Wolves sign a big “surge”: 40-18 that allows them to take off and take up to 27 points in advance!

Already at halftime, the deficit was significant (81-56) and the Minnesota team impressed, circulating the ball resulting in an avalanche of easy baskets.

In the second half, Wolves managed to take the lead without any worries. Seven players reached ten points, including Julius Randle, the author of a triple-double (18 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) and Ayo Dosunmu, who scored 21 points off the bench for his second game under new colors.

The game, mostly not very tense, saw a moment of tension at the start of the fourth quarter: an altercation broke out between Naz Reid and Mohamed Gueye after a (shirt) scuffle, and both players were sent off. The incident, however, did not change the nature of the matchup, and Minnesota ended up winning 138-116. A breath of fresh air in this very complicated time.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– Physical dominance. With 70 rebounds to 42, the Wolves crushed the Hawks under the boards. More rejections = more opportunities for quick restarts. For 48 minutes we saw Wolves wanting to run and distribute the ball. Quite a contrast to the meeting the day before.

– “Bar fight”. As in Charlotte, the meeting marked the beginning of a fight. This time, Naz Reid and Mouhamed Gueie clashed. A chance to see nba jerseys resistance as Reid basically grabbed Gueye by the jersey, before the two were separated and… sent back to the locker room.

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Difference of points when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.