Kyle Anderson, Timberwolves overcome Anthony Edwards’ off night to top Pistons 106-91

It’s not every game the man with the moniker “Slo-Mo” excites a crowd with his moves around the basket.

That happened Wednesday night in the Timberwolves’ 106-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons during the fourth quarter, when Kyle Anderson pulled off a couple of typically methodical, but sharp, changes of direction on his way to a layup that gave the Wolves a 14-point lead with 7 minutes, 34 seconds to play.

This season has been up and down for Anderson, but his offensive production has been increasing at just the right time with the playoffs looming. Anderson helped save the Wolves from what would have been an embarrassing loss to the Pistons by scoring 14 points. It marked the seventh time in his last eight games that Anderson has scored in double digits. Before March 8, he had scored in double figures only eight times all season.

Anderson added five assists and four rebounds as he helped flip a small third-quarter deficit into some breathing room for the Wolves on the scoreboard in a game that was a little harder than it should have been against the team with the NBA’s worst record. The Pistons fell to 12-61.

The win was the Wolves’ 50th of the season, just the fifth time in franchise history they have hit that mark and the first since 2004. They improved to 50-22.

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Anderson said this time of year is when he feels like his game starts to get in gear.

“I think that’s something to do with the weather cracking,” Anderson said, despite the recent snowfall. “Since high school, when it gets nice in March and watching March Madness and the league gets tough down the stretch, it’s go time. I always feel good around this time of the year.”

He felt good on a night when Anthony Edwards didn’t, as Edwards trudged his way to nine points on 4-for-11 shooting and the Wolves shot 11-for-36 from three-point range. The Wolves trailed by three in the third when Anderson’s nine third-quarter points sparked a 21-6 run for the Wolves to close the quarter ahead 78-66, at that point their largest lead of the night.

“It was huge — his scoring, being able to get to the heart of the defense and make the right play,” coach Chris Finch said.

Anderson got some help from Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid. McDaniels continued his offensive resurgence with 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting, while Reid led the team with 21 points despite going 1-for-8 from three-point range.

“It wasn’t our best effort,” Finch said. “But the defense was strong when we needed it to be, and we found enough offense.”

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BOXSCORE: Wolves 106, Detroit 91

That was thanks in large part to Anderson. There have been a few other reasons for Anderson’s resurgence, beyond the time of year. Earlier at shootaround, Anderson credited Indiana’s T.J. McConnell with suggesting a slight change to his game that Anderson put into practice: operating more from the midrange, since he wasn’t shooting many threes.

“He’s watched me since college,” Anderson said. “And he’s like, ‘Your midrange has always been deadly, get to that — it’s another way to make them guard you and then you can find Rudy [Gobert], you’re comfortable inside 15 feet.’ So I give a lot of credit to T.J.”

Also, since Karl-Anthony Towns has been out, Anderson has played more of his minutes at the four position, which is more natural to him. It’s where Anderson was so impactful for the Wolves last season when Towns was out for most of the season as well.

“I think that’s really my natural position,” Anderson said. “I was kind of getting the hang of [the three] before the All-Star break with KAT in the lineup. But I think it’s pretty obvious my best position is the four.”

When and if Towns does return from knee surgery, the Wolves will need Anderson to resume figuring out his niche at the three, but while Towns is out, the Wolves are 7-3 thanks in part to Anderson’s return to form.

“It’s a long season. I feel like year two, year four, year six I would’ve panicked,’ said Anderson, a 10-year veteran. “But I’ve been in this thing so long, once you come down the stretch it’s really time to play well now.”