Anthony Edwards put the Minnesota Timberwolves’ unity to the test. After four straight losses, he took off every filter in his tone. “We can’t talk to each other. Just a bunch of little kids” said the foundational star. The way to respond depended on the Wolves as a unit. And it truly inspired them to be gritty as the pack snapped their four-game losing streak in a low-scoring thriller over the Los Angeles Clippers.

It nearly did slip away. The Clippers took a lead in the fourth after trailing for most of the game. However, an important contributor to ensuring the Wolves ushered into a positive slope was Nickeil Alexander-Walker. His on-ball pressure and tenacity on the glass helped curb a successful Clippers offense led by James Harden.

In a game where every possession mattered, Alexander-Walker added a double-double and kept the intensity high. The desire and heart to snap the painful losing run was palpable. What inspired them to push themselves, though, was the stinging yet moving words from Edwards from a game ago.

“Like Ant said, everybody just got to look in the mirror and I did so and just did what I could do to help the team and make sure that I didn’t leave without one,” he said after the game.

That came with the need for perseverance. Alexander-Walker had a blunder in the fourth. He gave away a four-point play to James Harden that let the Clippers take the lead. However, in the moments after, his complete attention was devoted to being a defensive pest. The entire Wolves team dialed into that intensity.

Anthony Edwards generated a steal, played with immense physicality, and ensured the Wolves went back to winning ways. As a side that made it to the Western Conference Finals, they had found it difficult to locate their identity. However, it seems this win was more than just a relief in dark times.

Tough and gritty is the way to go for Anthony Edwards and the Wolves

Last season, the Wolves’ key factor that propelled them to wins was a well-organized defensive setting. They ranked as the best defensive team in the league. They still remain among the most compact, ranking 10th this season. However, there was a lack of intensity at times. With new faces such as Julius Randle and DiVincenzo needing to be integrated into the offense, their system is susceptible to errors.

They currently average only 111 points per game, lying in the bottom pile of the NBA. Moreover, their 16.1 turnovers are the eighth-highest mark in the league. Even tonight, those problems resurfaced. The Wolves couldn’t score even 100 points and turned the ball over 21 times. They managed to remain in the lead despite it due to their defensive pressure.

Even with turnovers leaking, they held the Clippers to just 23 points off turnovers. Granted, the rivals are still without their best scorer Norman Powell. But still, the smothering energy on defense to go after everything and remain tight acted as the bandage to their offensive errors.

However, there is still an urgent need to coordinate the offense, from which only Anthony Edwards thus far has been consistent, scoring 20 points in all the games so far. Incorporating Randle, an imposing scorer who looks for the basket on first instinct, is vital. Getting some cohesion and improving the assists-to-turnover ratio is quintessential for the Timberwolves to be a team that competes once again.

They have the right pieces and the mindset that yearns to recover from their shortcomings last season. Do you think Anthony Edwards and Co will figure things out after this win? Let us know your views in the comments below.