D'Angelo Russell makes his return for Timberwolves with 22-point game

D'Angelo Russell wasn't going to return to the Timberwolves lineup until he felt 100% following a left shin contusion, and he wasn't going to press to play until then.

He didn't want to be a liability on the floor, especially on defense. So even though some corners of Wolves fandom might have been frustrated seeing Russell miss four games because of the injury, he wasn't about to take a chance on returning before being fully healthy.

"Of course, people want to see you back and what-not, but it was aching and wasn't ready," Russell said. "It wasn't like I had to re-evaluate, anything like that. It just depends on the level of the injury."

Russell wasn't dealing with a serious injury, he said, and so just had to wait until it felt right to play again. He returned with 22 points on 7-for-18 shooting and eight assists. He had nine points in the fourth quarter as the Wolves finally pulled away from Detroit to win 118-105.

"I just wanted to be 100% before I went out there and jeopardized anything or let my teammates down on any assignments," Russell said. "Felt good to be back out there. Wind felt good. Everything felt good."

Coach Chris Finch has spoken with players this season about trying to play through some lingering pain or injuries. But the final decision, Finch said, on whether players play is up to them.

Josh Okogie remained out because of a quad injury.

"These players are really good at managing themselves, to be quite fair," Finch said. "They know their bodies. We don't really push them to do things that are outside their comfort zone until they're ready. We just provide every resource and give them as much information as possible, so if they feel they need another day or a couple days or whatever, we allow them to lead the dance."

Finch liked what he saw from Russell in his return.

"His first shift was pretty much as expected, tried to feel the game and after that I thought he was really good," Finch said.

While Russell came back, the Wolves didn't get away from Sunday unscathed. Taurean Prince left the game after playing two minutes and did not return because of a sprained left ankle. Prince had surgery on his left ankle last season and came into this one feeling better than he had in previous years.

He is also playing his best basketball of late and was averaging 17.5 points off the bench in the four games before Sunday.

Finch said he did not have an immediate update on the severity of Prince's injury. Prince stayed in the game for a few moments after the injury and even scored a basket before exiting.

Naz Reid also landed awkwardly in the fourth quarter and was on the floor as the team gathered around. Reid got up and went to the bench under his own power but did not return because of an apparent leg injury.

"He wanted to stay in the game, but we needed to have him evaluated properly," Finch said.

Jarred Vanderbilt also appeared to get hurt in the first quarter. He was able to shake it off and play nearly 26 minutes, though he wasn't as active as he typically is. He scored two points and grabbed five rebounds.