Timberwolves blow past Rockets to send Chris Finch to All-Star Game
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch came into his postgame press conference Sunday night a little bit later than usual. And with some wet hair.
His team had just blown past the Houston Rockets in a 111-90 victory at Target Center, meaning Finch would coach the Western Conference in the All-Star Game on Feb. 18 in Indianapolis as the Wolves clinched the best record in the West through Sunday. That meant Finch got a little bath in the locker room.
"They all got me with some cold water," he said.
Finch will have two familiar faces on his Western Conference team — Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards, who made sure his coach would join him for the All-Star festivities. Edwards scored 22 of his 32 points in the third quarter as the Timberwolves broke open a close game to build a 16-point lead heading into the fourth.
"He just went quicker. He just picked up his decision-making," Finch said of Edwards. "Obviously with the way (Dillon) Brooks was guarding him, we were able to get him off his body a little bit, so he could get some separation. And then just quicker decisions. ... And then if he's got the stepback going, it's really hard to guard."
Edwards had the stepback going, the drive going and everything else going, too, in the third quarter for the Wolves (35-15). His only real blemish on the night was a technical foul he picked up after complaining about the lack of a whistle in the frame.
Minnesota led 80-62 at that point in the third quarter, however, so it was pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Meanwhile, defensively, the Timberwolves stifled the Rockets (23-26) all night long. Houston shot just 35% from the field, with Rudy Gobert being a big reason why. He swatted four shots — and altered countless others — to go along with 17 points and 13 boards. Jaden McDaniels, meanwhile, held Jalen Green to just eight points.
"Those two guys have always kind of been the heartbeat of our defense, on the ball and at the rim," Finch said, referring to Gobert and McDaniels. "And they were really special tonight."
The Rockets hung around in the first half behind a fairly strong second quarter in which they forced the Timberwolves into turnovers.
Minnesota, at times, also struggled to hit shots; Edwards had just six points before the break and several good looks from all around didn't fall.
But they did in the second half.
All in all, the Wolves did a lot of the right things — answering some of the calls Finch had put out there for them. And they sent him to the All-Star Game in the process.
"It hasn't really sunk in yet, it really hasn't. It's an incredible honor. I'm sure it'll be an amazing experience," Finch said of coaching the All-Star Game, before making a joke. "And like these guys here, I'm sure those guys won't listen to what I have to say either. Just like any other game."
Final key stats
- Anthony Edwards: 32 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
- Rudy Gobert: 17 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks
- Naz Reid: 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal
