Minnesota coach Chris Finch might have missed the end of his team’s game in Phoenix on Wednesday night due to an ejection, but he had to be pleased with the outcome. The Timberwolves, trailing by two points when Finch was tossed for arguing with officials, rallied to secure a 121-113 victory, extending their winning streak to four games. They now head to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.
According to The Minnesota Star Tribune, Finch’s fiery attitude during an earlier intense film session seemed to carry over into the game. After scoring 23 points and hitting 5-for-10 from long distance, Nickeil Alexander-Walker remarked that “everybody was getting yelled at” during the film session.
The Timberwolves showcased resilience against the Suns, overcoming a 12-point deficit in the second quarter and taking control in the fourth quarter to go up by 14. Minnesota aims for its first five-game winning streak of the season, currently on the second night of a back-to-back.
Meanwhile, the Jazz are enduring a season-worst seven-game losing streak. They had a break on Wednesday following a back-to-back set against the Warriors on Monday and Tuesday. Despite missing key players, Utah received encouraging news that Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson will be available for the game against Minnesota. Additionally, John Collins, Johnny Juzang, and Walker Kessler have been upgraded to questionable.
Even with several players out, the Jazz put up a fight against the Warriors, trailing by just one point with under six minutes to go on Tuesday night. Collin Sexton had a standout performance, scoring 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting, with four assists and praise from his coach, despite the 114-103 loss.
Utah will look to snap their losing streak in the first of four matchups against Minnesota in the final 2.5 months of the season.
