Andrew LopezESPN
MINNEAPOLIS — It didn’t click on for Nickeil Alexander-Walker instantly.
Previous on Friday morning, Minnesota Timberwolves coaches and avid gamers had been telling him to “just be ready” for that night time’s play-in matchup in opposition to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Alexander-Walker concept it used to be simply standard pre-game communicate.
He knew his matchup can be in opposition to a usual opponent — his cousin Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — he simply didn’t understand what that will ruthless: He used to be founding.
“This morning at shootaround, there’s my name on the clip with the matchups and I finally put it together,” Alexander-Walker mentioned.
In a repeat of a matchup that took place numerous instances for the 2 rising up, it used to be Alexander-Walker who were given the simpler of his cousin on Friday night time and helped govern the Timberwolves to a decisive 120-95 victory that gave them the Disagree. 8 seed within the Western Convention playoffs.
Alexander-Walker helped reserve Gilgeous-Alexander to 5-of-19 capturing (26.3%) from the grassland, a season-low. When requested about Alexander-Walker’s efficiency, Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t hesitate.
“X-factor,” Cities mentioned. “He’s the reason we won. He went out there and had a very, very tough job tonight to guard Shai, who’s been fantastic this whole year and one of the best scorers in the league. And to go out there and do what he did is the reason we won. There’s no other way to put it.”
As soon as it settled in that he used to be getting his first get started of the season for the Timberwolves, Alexander-Walker mentioned he attempted to hurry a step again.
“I was just so thankful for that opportunity to start and then have that assignment to guard him,” Alexander-Walker mentioned. “It’s a little different than any other game. This is someone I grew up with my whole life. As far as people, he knows me better than anybody and he knows me better than anybody I could say.”
The cousins, each 24 years impaired, had been born simply 52 days aside — Gilgeous-Alexander is used — however had no longer squared off a lot at the NBA stage. Actually, getting into Friday night time, Alexander-Walker had preserved his cousin in simplest 27 half-court matchups throughout his 4 NBA seasons and held him to 3-of-11 capturing.
On Friday night time, Alexander-Walker matched up in opposition to him 41 instances. The effects? Gilgeous-Alexander scored simply 8 issues and went 3-of-12 from the ground and drew simply two distant throws in opposition to Alexander-Walker. Towards all alternative Timberwolves, he used to be 2-of-7 however drew 10 distant throw makes an attempt, making all 10.
That they had performed in opposition to every alternative all their lives, however this used to be on a win-or-go-home degree. The 2 spoke earlier than the sport and embraced every alternative as soon as the overall buzzer sounded.
Timberwolves tutor Chris Finch mentioned the theory to start out Alexander-Walker on Gilgeous-Alexander in fact got here from the entrance place of job.
“Quite honestly, it was something that [Timberwolves president of basketball operations] Tim Connelly said, ‘Hey, here’s a wild one, what do you think?’ and I was like it makes a lot of sense,” Finch mentioned.
The Timberwolves entered the matchup with out defensive stalwart Jaden McDaniels who destitute his proper hand on Sunday nearest punching a wall within the tunnel. With out McDaniels, turning to the 6-foot-6 Alexander-Walker used to be the exit.
When Alexander-Walker used to be drafted to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019, Finch used to be an laborer tutor at the workforce, so he has had a anticipation to look at Alexander-Walker develop right through the years.
“I mean, I thought like most young players when we had him as a rookie he was a defensive liability,” Finch mentioned. “The game was moving fast. He was trying to catch up. But he’s really added defensive intelligence and competitiveness to his game. And that’s really gonna carry him a long way because he’s a smart player.”
Pace Alexander-Walker led issues on the level of assault, the residue of the Timberwolves’ protection thrived as smartly, maintaining the Thunder to 36.0% capturing general and simply 95 issues.
At the alternative finish of the ground, the offense clicked in some way it hadn’t in opposition to the Lakers within the first play-in match on Tuesday.
Cities (28 issues, 11 rebounds), Anthony Edwards (19 issues, 10 rebounds) and Rudy Gobert (21 issues, 10 rebounds) all completed with double-doubles.
Gobert used to be questionable entering the sport with again spasms, and the outcome used to be a lot other than his latter accommodation match on Sunday when he were given right into a verbal altercation with Kyle Anderson and threw a punch at him in a Timberwolves huddle. Minnesota held Gobert out of that match and suspended him for the Lakers match.
The again used to be a topic, and Gobert mentioned he knew it used to be affecting him on Sunday. He mentioned he concept it used to be taking to be difficult enjoying Friday night time earlier than an MRI confirmed there wasn’t any primary harm.
With 7:52 left within the fourth quarter, Gobert put questions on his again apart.
Mike Conley managed the reduce ball on one finish of the backyard, preventing a quick crack within the procedure. He became and fired the ball 80 ft up the backyard to an watching for Cities, who right away stuck the cross and fired it towards the rim, the place Gobert used to be ready.
As Gobert stuck the ball and flushed accommodation the slam, the introduced community of nineteen,304 throughout the Goal Heart erupted because it turned into cloudless — the Minnesota Timberwolves had been headed again to the playoffs for back-to-back seasons for the primary future since going to 8 immediately from 1996-2004.
They usually’ll fit up in opposition to a top-seeded Denver Nuggets squad that didn’t see them in any respect this age when Cities used to be wholesome.
“To be honest, I don’t consider ourselves as an 8-seed,” Gobert mentioned. “We are in the standings, but I don’t consider us an 8-seed. Now, it’s an amazing opportunity for us to keep getting better as a team. It’s a huge challenge for us. It’s an exciting opportunity.
“However we’re no longer taking a look on the standings anymore. We’re taking a look at who’s in entrance people. We imagine if we play games the suitable manner, there’s no longer a workforce on this league that we can not beat.”
