Precise timing: Identifying when the Timberwolves move in for the kill

Minnesota has been killing opponents with staggering runs in the playoffs.

May 4, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) controls the / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Six playoff games and six convincing wins for the Timberwolves. Were the Suns overrated? Are the Nuggets just struggling? What if the most realistic reasons the Suns got swept and the Nuggets have been embarrassed through two games is because the Timberwolves are a juggernaut?

Nuggets coach Michael Malone referred to the "beast in Minnesota." Reggie Jackson said the Wolves "literally manhandled" them in Game 2, so much so that it has Nuggets players questioning their "will and manhood."

In wolf-like nature, Minnesota has been preying on opponents and going in for the kill at opportune times. And a pattern appears to be developing for when the Wolves pounce: late third quarter into the fourth quarter.

Against the Suns – a series Minnesota swept in dominant fashion – the games tended to be tightly contested until Minnesota went in for the kill midway through the third quarter of Games 1-3 and then over the final 10 minutes of the fourth quarter in Game 4.

When did they go for the kill in Game 1?

Timberwolves led 73-68 with 5:55 to play in the third quarter and they won 120-95. That's an 18-minute finish outscoring the Suns 47-27. +20

When did they go for the kill in Game 2?

Timberwolves trailed 63-62 with six minutes to go in the third and they won 105-93. That's an 18-minute stretch to close the game on a 42-31 run. It was actually 102-83 with 4:41 to play before the Suns waved the white flag and they cut the score closer in garbage time. Overall, +11 over the final 18 minutes even though Minnesota was +18 from six minutes left in the third to 4:41 left in the fourth.

When did they go for the kill in Game 3?

Timberwolves led 63-58 with 8:45 left in the third quarter and went on to win 126-109. That's a dominant final 20 minutes in which they pummeled the Suns 63-51. +12 overall, though Minnesota grew the lead to 24 points early in the fourth quarter.

When did they go for the kill in Game 4?

Suns actually led 99-95 with 9:40 to go in the fourth quarter before Minnesota closed the game on a 27-17 run to win 122-116. +10

Minnesota's dominant strectes of play, which we can refer to as kill zones, were typically 10- to 15-minute stretches that yielded a four-game plus/minus of +53 against the Suns. Pure domination.

The same dance between predator and prey has occurred in Games 1 and 2 against Denver.

Denver led Minnesota 62-57 halfway through the third quarter of Game 1. That's precisely when the Timberwolves started to set the tone. They rallied back for a lead and maintained a slight cushion until Christian Braun hit a 3-pointer to tie the game 84-84 with 6:24 left in the fourth quarter. That's when Minnesota went into for the kill, spending the next five minutes to build a 102-91 lead (+11) before the Nuggets effectively bled out on their home court.

The Nuggets then had their soul taken by Minnesota in Game 2, though this time the Timberwolves didn't play with their food for quite so long. The Timberwolves appeared to smell blood after Jamal Murray and Malone complained to the refs after Karl-Anthony Towns barreled through Murray and scored to give the Wolves a 20-17 lead with just under four minutes left in the first quarter.

Minnesota built a 26-point lead at the half and led by as many as 32 points early in the third quarter. The rest of the game was Minnesota feeding on Denver's carcass until the final horn sounded on a 106-80 victory.

The Wolves took an 18-17 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter and built it into a 73-41 cushion with 7:20 left inthe third quarter. That's a 55-24 run (+31) in the span of 21 minutes.

The Timberwolves are killers. It's just a matter of when they want to sink their teeth into the opponent and finish the hunt.