The NBA’s defending Sixth Man of the Year and the Timberwolves’ needed starter Saturday, Naz Reid turned his own bobblehead night into a party.
Timberwolves, lacking Anthony Edwards among others, roar past Trail Blazers
A huge run in the final minutes settled it as Edwards sat out because of a sore hip and Rob Dillingham stood in for injured Mike Conley at the point.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
February 9, 2025 at 6:59AM
He made three of his five three-pointers in a lopsided fourth quarter of the Wolves’ 114-98 victory over Portland at Target Center.
The Wolves played without three starters, All-Star guard Anthony Edwards, point guard Mike Conley and forward Julius Randle, but still outscored the Trail Blazers 38-14 in the fourth quarter.
Reid made a crucial steal and fed Jaden McDaniels for a running layup that extended the Wolves’ lead to double digits with 2½ minutes remaining, after they had trailed by 11 points late in the third quarter.
Wolves coach Chris Finch almost beamed after his short-handed team, which had sustained recent home losses to lowly Washington and Sacramento, completed a run of victories over Chicago, Houston and now Portland, also at home.
“I’m proud of the guys,” Finch said. “This is one of my favorite wins of the year.”
McDaniels delivered a 30-point, 10-rebound game in which he went 12-for-17 from the field, only one of them a three-point attempt (and he missed).
“He has been doing that for a while now,” Finch said. “What I love about it, it was such an efficient night. He didn’t need to take a bunch of threes. He got to the line. He had some really good, smart possessions, too. We needed somebody to take a shot, and he was the guy to do it. He was fun to watch.”
Big man Rudy Gobert made a crucial blocked shot that propelled the Wolves midway through the fourth quarter into a lead they never lost.
And again Reid gave the sellout crowd of 18,978 a little something on a night fans received a bobblehead in his image, including his trademark towel.
“I’ve been asked to get that bobblehead for about 500 people,” Finch said.
In real life, Reid slung the towel over his shoulder as he walked back to the Wolves’ locker room after the game.
“It’s the fans that really get me going,” Reid said. “They definitely deserved it. They’ve been with me since Day 1. For me, it’s perfect. What do they call it? A Cinderella story? It’s just perfect.”
Reid was asked how many people have asked him for a bobblehead.
“Man,” he said. “I got plenty so they’ll get one.”
Reid produced his 23 points, eight rebounds and two steals with the Trail Blazers game-planning to stop him, even in his productive fourth quarter.
“I just see what Ant go through,” Reid said, referring to Edwards. “A little less, but I see what Ant go through. It’s tough. You get a little tired. But at that point, it’s mental. How much resiliency do you have? I try to keep playing through all that. Playing on defense as well and make things happen.”
Edwards missed his second game in the past five after he played every one this season before that. He was out because of right hip soreness.
When asked pregame if he expects Edwards’ injury to be a short-term problem, Finch said: “It’s certainly day-to-day right now. It’s more cautious than anything else.”
Without Edwards, Conley, Randle and injured guard Donte DiVincenzo, rookie point guard Rob Dillingham started his first NBA game, alongside Nickeil Alexander-Walker, McDaniels, Reid and Gobert. Dillingham and Jaylen Clark played meaningful minutes with the Wolves so undermanned.
Conley is out because of a right index finger sprain. Randle (groin strain) and DiVincenzo (great toe sprain) have been out longer.
Edwards scored 49 and 41 points in his past two games, wins over Chicago and Houston, but he was ill for that 105-103 loss to last-place Washington — which had lost 16 consecutive games — a week ago.
“What happened against Washington couldn’t happen again,” Clark said.
The first time the Wolves and Trail Blazers met this season, the Blazers won back-to-back games in Portland in mid-November, a low point of the Wolves’ young season. They were 8-9 and the Blazers 5-8 after those two games.
Portland arrived at Target Center on Saturday with a 23-29 record, in 13th place in the 15-team Western Conference. But they also had won nine of their past 10 games and six consecutively until the Wolves outscored them 67-38 after halftime.
Saturday’s game was the last one before the decision is revealed in an arbitration case to decide whether minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez or current Wolves majority owner Glen Taylor will own the Wolves and the Lynx of the WNBA.
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