Minnesota Timberwolves (36-23) beat Portland Trail Blazers (28-31) 124-121 on the road on Tuesday, February 24 in a game that stayed within 6 points at every quarter break.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Timberwolves had the better start, winning the first 33-27 to lead by 6 after one. The Trail Blazers cut into the deficit with a 32-29 second quarter, though the Timberwolves still led by 3 at halftime.
The Trail Blazers won the third 35-34 to stay in front, taking a 2-point lead into the fourth. The Timberwolves took the fourth 28-27; the Timberwolves finished the job for a 124-121 regulation win.
The edge that mattered
The Timberwolves got more from their shots, finishing at 63.1% effective field-goal shooting compared with 55.1% for the Trail Blazers. In a 3-point game, that shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Trail Blazers did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 25.8 against 14.8. The Timberwolves made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 101 possessions per team, the Timberwolves produced 123 points per 100 possessions to 120.1 for the Trail Blazers.
The Trail Blazers' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 40-19.
Who made the difference
Jaden McDaniels was the game's biggest individual force for MIN: 29 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl, 5 blk on 12-16 shooting. His Game Score of 28.5 led everyone. His team was +10 with him on the floor.
Donovan Clingan led the Trail Blazers with 11 pts, 16 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl on 4-7 shooting, good for a 19.2 Game Score.
Donovan Clingan (11 pts, 16 reb, 5 ast) and Rudy Gobert (10 pts, 19 reb, 4 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 46% for the Timberwolves.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, Minnesota Timberwolves lead 4-2.
The Timberwolves are now 36-23, and the Trail Blazers are 28-31. The Timberwolves last five before this game: L-W-W-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.