You could not have written a better ending to Wednesday’s game in Miami for Wolves fans.
With his Miami Heat team down 127-126, Jimmy Butler resorted to his trademark hero ball with five seconds remaining in the game. But this time, it was the Wolves who got the last laugh in their meeting with Butler.
Butler made his way past Malik Beasley but was met by three other Minnesota defenders once he made his way into the paint. He went up for a contested layup with 3.4 seconds remaining, seemingly looking to draw a foul, but was instead denied by a clean, game-sealing block from D’Angelo Russell.
Wolves fans erupted back in Minnesota as their newly-acquired point guard shut down the player they’ve severed all ties with. But for Russell, his block wasn’t an attempt to amend the Wolves’ past. It was a sign of what he hopes will be a signature play of his team’s future.
“We were all ready to make a winning play — I look at it like that,” Russell said. “Previous teams (the Wolves) had, you’d probably lose games down the stretch like that. Same here as well, but I think that’s the growing pains and the adjustment we’re trying to make sooner rather than later.
“And we have the guys to do it.”
With the game on the line, the Wolves, who’ve been praised for their post-trade-deadline offensive improvements, relied on their defense to claim a road win.
One disciplined contest at the rim isn’t going to fix all of the Wolves’ defensive problems, but it’s a start.
Wolves head coach Ryan Saunders said Russell’s block was emblematic of that attitude he wants his team to play with from here on out. That’s an attitude that doesn’t quit on plays and gives extra effort — especially on the defensive end.
“We know that is something that we need to get better with as a group,” Saunders said. “I thought we did that down the stretch against Miami by eliminating our turnovers, limiting questionable shots.”
The Wolves held a film session on Thursday to reinforce what they’re capable of when they remain committed to their defensive principles.
“When you can get some success on the court and show that if you push through the change and just kind of dig in and stick with it, you’re going to be better for it the next day,” Saunders said. “Our group has done a great job of that, but once again, we don’t want to just look at a Miami game as though we’ve gotten through tough times. We still need to work through a lot of this. The only way to do that is with a focus and mentality of work and winning the day.”
Building team chemistry won’t hurt either and the Wolves have had plenty of opportunities to do so on their four-game road trip.
“You spend every day together, and that helps — especially on the road,” Juancho Hernangomez said. “I think it’s really important to know each other off and on the court — see what the people are like on and off the court and just building relationships. We’re building a family. That’s knowing each other, knowing what we like, what we don’t like, and just trusting each other.”
Before their game against the Heat, James Johnson planned a few team activities for the Wolves and was a catalyst for building the team’s comradery.
“When you go to a city like Miami, you try to have as much fun as you can because the weather’s nice, the scenery’s nice,” Russell said. “We did a team event, and I think it played a major part in our team chemistry growing. James put that together, and I thought it was brilliant.”
Hernangomez shared that Johnson wasn’t just a leader in Miami, where he played before coming to Minnesota. He’s been a leader since he joined the team on Feb. 6.
“You have to be around him to know how big he is off the court and on the court,” Hernangomez said. “He knows everything. He’s been through everything — the good things and the bad things, bad teams and good teams. He knows what we need to win. He knows when we have to focus, when we have to lock in. He just … he’s our leader.”
Russell believes Johnson also serves as a confidence-booster for the young Wolves team full of players hoping to prove themselves.
“He’s giving guys the confidence to want to go out there and compete against anybody, the best in the world,” Russell said. “We’ve got a lot of people on our team trying to play for their stripes, so every night is a chance to win somebody over. He’s giving guys the confidence to do that.”
The Wolves are hoping their improved defense and team chemistry will continue with them as they make their final stop of their four-game road trip in Orlando. The Wolves and Magic will face off at 6 p.m. CT on Friday. The game will be aired on Fox Sports North Plus and 830 WCCO.