Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch credited his team’s defensive intensity and bench contributions after a 116-104 victory over the Phoenix Suns at Target Center on Tuesday.
“Obviously Bones was a huge spark for us. It kind of got us back into the game with some offense early,” Finch said of Bones Hyland, who scored 22 points off the bench.
Finch highlighted the Timberwolves’ on-ball defense as a key factor in the win: “Some of the best on ball defense we’ve played in a long time… once we took care of the offensive rebounds, it was kind of one shot and done.”
Naz Reid also drew praise for his performance: “Just gave us a couple key buckets when we needed it most… he got a big defensive play against Green along the baseline and rebounded in traffic.”
The coach credited adjustments to the team’s improved rebounding: “We just kind of changed up what we were doing in and around the ball, and things got better from there.”
Finch noted the bench’s significant impact, citing Kyle Anderson’s leadership: “He made a lot of heady plays, and as we talked about Bones and Naz, that was really good when those guys came in right when the game needed them.”
Regarding ball-handling responsibilities, Finch said, “Honestly at this point, no… sometimes we face pressure and have to have certain guys try to get it up, but we’ve got to just kind of figure out a new rhythm there.”
He also discussed Julius Randle’s evolving decisiveness: “Balls finding him earlier in the offense… he’s trusting the next play a little bit more too… it’s at the heart of what we do, really his playmaking and getting us into situations where everyone can benefit.”
On the Timberwolves’ adjustment to Anthony Edwards’ absence, Finch observed, “On nights like this when Ant is out, Bones just benefits from that… he’s a streaky scorer, so there’s going to be more shots for him.”
The coach emphasized the importance of maintaining rhythm amid stoppages: “We have a better rhythm the faster that we tend to play… force pace when you can, but upcourt pressure makes that hard sometimes.”
Finch concluded by praising on-court leadership: “Kyle’s on-court leadership, his IQ, his ability to think for his teammates and think through situations… it’s huge for us.”
The Timberwolves improved to 42-27 and 7-4 without Edwards this season, while the Suns fell to 39-30 despite 34 points from Devin Booker. Minnesota hosts Utah on Wednesday, and Phoenix heads to San Antonio on Thursday.
