Minnesota coach Chris Finch didn’t finish watching his team’s game in Phoenix on Wednesday night, but he had to be pleased with what happened after he was ejected.
The Timberwolves were trailing by two points in the third quarter when Finch was thrown out for arguing with the referees. However, they went on to win 121-113, extending their winning streak to four games. They’ll look to make it five in a row when they play the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City on Thursday night.
Players told The Minnesota Star Tribune that Finch’s fiery attitude might have been influenced by a tense film session earlier in the day.
“You should’ve seen him this morning,” said Julius Randle, who scored 28 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out six assists, and made three steals against the Suns.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who scored 23 points and made 5-of-10 three-pointers, said, “Everybody was getting yelled at” during the film session.
“I think he went to sleep last night with violence on his mind,” Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards said after scoring 33 points with seven rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and two steals. “And you know how you go to sleep with something on your mind and you’re hoping when you wake up … I don’t think his sleep was good enough.”
The Timberwolves had to battle back after falling behind by 12 points in the second quarter. They turned it around, going up by 14 in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
Now, the Timberwolves will try for their first five-game winning streak of the season. This is the second time they’ve won four in a row.
Utah is coming into the game on a seven-game losing streak, the worst of their season. The Jazz didn’t play on Wednesday after traveling back from San Francisco following a back-to-back set on Monday and Tuesday.
The Jazz did get some good news on Wednesday regarding their injury report. After missing seven players in their loss to the Warriors, Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson are set to play against Minnesota.
John Collins, Johnny Juzang, and Walker Kessler were upgraded to questionable.
Despite being without many key players, the Jazz kept it close with the Warriors on Tuesday, losing 114-103. Collin Sexton had a great game, scoring 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting, adding four assists. Jazz coach Will Hardy praised Sexton’s effort.
“Collin is one of my favorite players that I’ve ever been around,” Hardy said. “I tell Collin all the time, ‘I love you and you drive me crazy.’ Both can be true. His fire every day is something that I think we all should aspire to have.”
Hardy was proud of how competitive the Jazz were against the Warriors, despite their injuries and the fact that the Warriors were playing without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jonathan Kuminga.
“These lessons are good for our group, and I’m glad that we’re going through them together,” Hardy said. “I continue to be optimistic about the group as a whole and the growth that we’re showing, the competitiveness that we’re showing, the connectivity that we’re showing.”
