The Timberwolves needed a reset, and they got one in a hurry.
Minnesota controlled Friday’s NBA Cup opener against the Los Angeles Clippers from the opening stretch and never let go, looking much more like the team that opened the season with three straight 20-point wins. After the loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday and the news of Anthony Edwards’ injury the day before that, the Wolves had spent a day under a cloud of uncertainty. This was the kind of response that settles things down.
That matters because the next couple of months are about survival and discovery for Minnesota. With Edwards out, the mission is to hang around in the standings while learning as much as possible about this roster so the team can be ready to roll when its best player returns.
Two players who needed a bounce-back delivered it. LaMelo Ball and Rudy Gobert both struggled badly during the Wolves’ two-game skid, but after a day off and some time to practice and regroup, they looked far more like themselves against the Clippers.
Ball once again directed the offense and gave the building a jolt with his shooting. He finished with a team-high 24 points, buried six three-pointers, and looked like the sort of player who can take on more responsibility while Edwards is sidelined.
Gobert was just as important, if not more so, on both ends. He protected the paint, finished the chances he had missed in the previous two games, and gave Minnesota the interior presence it needed.
There was also a clear sign that the two can work together in a way that raises the team’s ceiling. Several times, Ball found Gobert rolling hard to the rim, and Gobert made the extra pass to open teammates when the defense collapsed. That pick-and-roll connection is going to matter a lot for this group.
The Wolves also got a major bench performance at a time when they’ll need it constantly. With Ayo Dosunmu moving into the starting group, someone off the bench had to step up.
In the first game without Edwards, Terrence Shannon Jr. filled that sixth-man spot. Against the Clippers, it was Bones Hyland’s turn.
Hyland scored 19 points and handed out a team-high eight assists, giving Minnesota another example of how multiple reserves can swing a night. That kind of pop off the bench is no longer a bonus for the Wolves; with Edwards expected to miss two months, it’s a requirement.
“We loaded, bro,” Hyland said about the team responding to the loss of Edwards. “We got a lot of talent on the team.
A lot of guys that can step in. Last year, when we played the Nuggets, guys sat out from injuries, and we stepped up.”
That’s the reality for Minnesota now. The Wolves do not need the same reserve to carry them every night, but they will need someone to outperform expectations in different games as they try to get through this stretch.
Friday’s win also opened the door in NBA Cup play. Minnesota’s group includes the Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, and New Orleans Pelicans, and a 26-point win to start the stage gives the Wolves a strong position to move on.
The Thunder make winning the group a tough ask, but a 3-1 finish with a healthy point differential would likely be enough to advance as a wild card.
This is the fourth season of the NBA Cup, and the Wolves have still not gotten out of the group stage. One side benefit is that Minnesota has won all six games the NBA has placed on its schedule while the teams that advance face each other later on.
How much any of this matters to fans is a fair question. For the Timberwolves, though, the chance to win something - or even just keep playing for something - carries real value right now.
In Other News...
Timberwolves Just Put Cody Williams In A Tough Spotlight
The Timberwolves are making their long-term intentions clear with a pair of rookie-scale decisions that fit the direction of the roster. Terrence Shannon Jr. and Joan Beringer are getting their 2027-28 team options picked up, a sign that both have done enough in the current season to stay in the clubs plans as Minnesota keeps sorting out its cap picture and young talent pipeline.
Cody Williams is the tougher call in that same group, and it leaves him in a more fragile spot heading into the rest of his contract. His struggles have made the price of keeping him around harder to justify for a team watching every dollar, and the next stretch will determine whether he can stabilize his value before the front office has to make another decision on his future. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kuminga Is Giving Timberwolves Fans A New Reason To Watch
With Anthony Edwards sidelined, Jonathan Kuminga has had a little more room to show why Minnesota has been intrigued by him, and he took advantage of it against the Warriors on Tuesday. In a 119-114 loss, the Timberwolves forward put up a season-high 20 points while continuing to flash the kind of two-way activity that has made him more visible in the rotation, now averaging 13.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals this season.
The game also carried a little extra edge for Kuminga, who spent time with Golden State before landing in Minnesota and had a tense moment on the sideline with one of his former coaches. For Timberwolves fans, it was another reminder that his role is growing at the right time, even if the result did not go their way. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves' Hot Start Comes With One Problem They Can't Ignore
Minnesotas fast start has been built on a sharper, quicker offense, with LaMelo Ball helping push the pace and Anthony Edwards carrying the scoring load at 33.3 points per game before his recent knee issue changed the outlook. The Timberwolves have looked more dynamic than they did a year ago, but the early surge has also made it easier to see where the cracks could form if the rhythm changes.
Rudy Gobert still anchors the defense, and that matters plenty for a team trying to stay near the top of the West. The concern is on the other end, where his limited touch around the rim has become harder to overlook, especially with Minnesota already adjusting to life without its leading scorer and trying to keep the offense from losing the edge that made this run possible. [Read more 🡒]