SALT LAKE CITY – As Anthony Edwards put it, the moments leading up to the Timberwolves' 143-118 victory over Utah were "crazy." About 45 minutes after word leaked that the Wolves were trading D'Angelo Russell and landing Mike Conley in a three-team trade involving them, the Lakers and Jazz, the Wolves had to go out and face Utah.
After D'Angelo Russell trade news, Timberwolves throttle Jazz 143-118 in Utah
Anthony Edwards scored 31, Jaylen Nowell added 30 and the Timberwolves ran the Jazz out of the gym while shooting 57% from the field and 54% from three.
February 9, 2023 at 4:41AM
Each team was missing those players involved in the trade: Russell for the Wolves and, for the Jazz, Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who is coming to the Wolves, and former Wolves Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt, who are going to the Lakers.
The Wolves, playing the second night of a back-to-back, were also shorthanded because of injuries or rest for Kyle Anderson (back spasms) and Rudy Gobert (right groin soreness). Coach Chris Finch said the team briefly addressed the day's awkwardness.
"These things, it's unfortunate timing, you don't ever get to pick your timing," Finch said while declining to delve into specifics about the trade, which hasn't been made official. "Maybe in some ways, it was good that we could just play a game and not have to overthink things. But guys were ready."
That was actually selling the Wolves short. In one of their easiest wins of the season, they got career nights from various players. Jaylen Nowell got the start and had a career-high 30 points. It was a big moment for Nowell in an otherwise up-and-down season.
"The last few games, whether they've gone in or not, he's back to shooting it, trusting it and tonight it was good to see them go in," Finch said.
Center Luka Garza came off the bench for a career-high 25 points, a tally that included four three-pointers in a season where he is shooting just 30 percent from deep.
"It was definitely strange with everything going on," Garza said. "But I think Jordan McLaughlin said it really well before the game started, just don't let them play harder than us. Just focus on that. We came out with energy, we had guys step up. Shoutout Josh, he's been so ready."
That would be second-round pick Josh Minott, who played some of the first significant minutes of his career and took full advantage. He scored 12 points and had 11 rebounds for his first career double-double.
"That was a stellar performance," Edwards said of Minott. "And I've never used 'stellar' in my life."
Added Minott: "It's a surreal feeling, being out there. It's what we dream of, that opportunity."
Edwards helped a lot, too, scoring 31 points and igniting the Wolves with big first and third quarters. The first quarter saw them establish the lead; the third helped them crack the game open as they outscored Utah 40-21 after halftime.
"It was crazy the last six hours before," Edwards said. "But, we're here to play basketball at the end of the day. We can't really feed into that — we have nothing to do with that. [My teammates] did a great job of staying locked in and they kept me locked in."
The game was reminiscent of the time the Wolves blew out the Clippers 142-115 following major trades at the 2020 deadline, when the team made over a significant chunk of its roster. The Wolves couldn't miss that night and the same applied Wednesday. They shot 54 percent from three-point range.
The Wolves rebounded from their debacle Tuesday in Denver and will head next to Memphis on this four-game trip. It's unclear whether Conley and Alexander-Walker will be joining them for that matchup.
Their 28-point lead got trimmed to two late, but they held on in a Western Conference finals rematch that missed an injured Luka Doncic after halftime.
