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Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Utah Jazz NBA Summer Leauge
In their Las Vegas NBA Summer League opener, the Minnesota Timberwolves played well and won 102-88 against the New Orleans Pelicans with the help of a 30-13 fourth quarter. Brandon Williams scored 24 points, and four of the five starters scored in double figures. Josh Minnot contributed 20 points, and Leonard Miller, who Minnesota drafted in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft, scored 16 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and made two assists and two steals.
Keynote George shone as he guided the Utah Jazz to their first victory in the NBA Summer League, scoring 33 points to lead the team to a 105-99 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. George, drafted 16th overall by the Jazz in the 2023 NBA Draft, made 12 of his 24 field goal attempts, including six from three-point range, and also provided 10 assists. Ochai Agbaji contributed 21 points, while Micah Potter scored 18 points in the game.
Timberwolves demonstrated their ability to play solid defense in their Summer League opener. This defensive prowess may have contributed to their second victory on Monday night. Minnesota went on a 21-3 streak within the game’s final seven minutes and won by 14 points against the Pelicans. The Timberwolves were especially effective on defense, causing turnovers that resulted in quick scoring opportunities in transition.
I’m intrigued to see how they can stop Utah’s three-point shooting since the Jazz had a 39 percent success rate from beyond the arc against the Clippers. On the other hand, Minnesota performed well by limiting the Pelicans to only 7-of-28 from long distance. Although Brandon Williams was the top scorer, the Timberwolves should be optimistic about the performance of Leonard Miller. The second-round pick from Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in his debut. He displayed many skills during the game, including post moves, a three-pointer from the top of the key, and even an impressive alley-oop pass to Josh Minott. Additionally, he was very active on the boards and earned 11 rebounds, including five offensive rebounds. It is expected that Leonard will continue to play with the same level of intensity in future games after his strong showing on Friday. On the offensive end, the Timberwolves were aggressive and drew 31 fouls from the Pelicans. This led to a total of 26 free throw attempts, out of which they converted 23 with an impressive team percentage of 88.5%.
There is a possibility that Utah might win by at least four points as they are 3.5-point favorites for the game. This could happen again if Keyonte George performs as well as he did in his professional debut, where he scored 33 points. However, it is worth noting that it took him 24 shots to reach that score, which is almost one-third of the shots attempted by the entire Jazz team during that game. In the Summer League opener, Utah heavily relied on George, Agbaji, and Potter trio to take 70% of their total shots. However, for the Jazz to secure another win, they need other players to contribute more. On Friday, the team attempted 41 three-pointers, with George and Agbaji taking 25 shots from beyond the arc. Despite many attempts, the Jazz converted 16 three-pointers at a 39% accuracy rate.
As previously stated, the Timberwolves’ defense limited the Pelicans to a shooting percentage of only 25%. If Utah can replicate their ability to create opportunities and shoot at a 39% rate from three-point range, they have a good chance of securing their second victory in the Summer League.
The Minnesota Timberwolves had a great team performance on Friday, including strong defense. In comparison, Utah relied heavily on just three players to win against the Clippers, which may not be sustainable in the NBA Summer League. The Timberwolves have multiple reliable players, such as Williams, Minott, Wendell Moore Jr, and Miller. These players could take the pressure off of Keyonte George and help Utah secure a second win. On the other hand, Minnesota have a lot of young talent that can challenge Utah’s game plan if Keyonte George is not able to step up again.
For these reasons, it’s difficult to make a definitive prediction about who will be victorious in this match-up. Nevertheless, Utah should have the upper hand given their strong performance in the season opener and Minnesota’s relative inexperience. Therefore, it is likely that the Jazz will come out on top against The Timberwolves in this Summer League game.
ESPNews , July 10, 6:00 PM EST/3:00 PM PST
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