Portland large man Robert Williams III has simply returned from a 12-month absence as a consequence of a serious knee harm.
He is rapidly displaying why the Path Blazers missed him a lot final season.
Williams dominated the primary contest of a back-to-back set with the Minnesota Timberwolves and can look to repeat his efficiency when the groups meet once more Wednesday night time in Portland.
Tuesday’s 122-108 victory over Minnesota marked Williams’ third look of the season. He scored 19 factors on 9-of-10 taking pictures from the sphere and recorded 9 rebounds, three assists, three blocked pictures and three steals in 25 minutes of motion.
“I am simply blessed to be out right here enjoying this sport,” Williams stated afterward. “There’s all the time mild on the finish of the tunnel.”
Williams performed simply six video games for Portland final season in his first marketing campaign with the workforce earlier than the season-ending harm. His absence left a serious gap up entrance, and the squad’s protection usually was an issue.
“You guys have heard me since he is been right here, raving about how completely happy I’m to have the ability to coach him,” the Path Blazers’ Chauncey Billups stated after Tuesday’s sport. “He is only a winner. He does every thing you want him to do.
“His really feel for the sport may be very high-level, his IQ is de facto, actually high-level. His rebounding, his blocked pictures, his voice, he is so impactful.”
Williams was one in every of seven Portland gamers to attain in double digits Tuesday in a contest that was a part of the NBA Cup. Each groups are in Group A.
Portland’s Jerami Grant scored a team-best 21 factors whereas Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija added 17 apiece. Toumani Camara and Scoot Henderson had 14 factors every and Dalano Banton had 12.
Deandre Ayton (sprained finger) missed the competition, and Anfernee Simons performed simply 5 minutes as a consequence of chest pains. Billups stated Simons underwent assessments that got here again regular, however he added that Simons will bear “additional testing” on Wednesday.
“He was experiencing a bit of shortness of breath out of nowhere,” Billups stated. “We needed to be further cautious.”
Tuesday’s efficiency was a lot totally different for Portland. Final Friday, the Timberwolves walloped the Path Blazers 127-102 in Minneapolis.
Anthony Edwards drained 9 3-pointers and had 37 factors in that contest, and Minnesota was 22 of fifty from 3-point vary.
On Tuesday night time, the Timberwolves had been 13 of 35 from behind the arc. Edwards made 4 treys whereas scoring 26 factors.
Naz Reid was Minnesota’s main scorer with 28 factors on Tuesday.
What harm the Timberwolves was their lack of ability to handle the ball. Minnesota dedicated a season-worst 23 turnovers that led to 25 Portland factors.
“Simply sloppiness, carelessness,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch stated. “Extremely controllable ones.”
4 totally different gamers dedicated 4 miscues. It marked the third straight sport and the fourth time general that the Timberwolves had a minimum of 20 turnovers in a sport this season.
“I believe we acquired to get into extra construction,” Finch stated of how the problems could be diminished. “Guys are attempting to make the high-risk play lots as a substitute of the straightforward play.”
Finch stated some turnovers had been as a consequence of gamers making an attempt to pressure the ball inside to Rudy Gobert. The massive man took simply three pictures, making two.
Whereas Reid and Edwards mixed for half of Minnesota’s factors, Jaden McDaniels carried out properly with 17 factors on 8-of-10 taking pictures from the sphere.
The Timberwolves had crushed Portland 5 straight occasions earlier than Tuesday’s loss.
–Discipline Stage Media
