What stood out in the Timberwolves’ preseason win over the 76ers

Anthony Edwards made his preseason debut and the Timberwolves moved one step closer to the regular season after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 121-111 on Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.

While Edwards made his preseason debut, that was not the case for Julius Randle, who has yet to make his Wolves debut as he continues to recover from last season’s shoulder surgery. But Wolves coach Chris Finch said he looked ready and would make his pre-season debut next week. Meanwhile, the Wolves were also without Rudy Gobert, who was a game-time decision but left shortly before Friday night’s game began. This made for some interesting lineups.

Friday night’s game did not go smoothly as the stream on NBA League Pass, the only way to watch the game, experienced technical issues and we were not immune here. But between the “technical difficulties” banners and the stream turning on and off, here’s what stood out from the Timberwolves’ preseason win on Friday night:

With Randle and Gobert out, the Timberwolves went with a smaller starting lineup than usual with Mike Conley, Donte DiVincenzo, Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid. It’s a lineup combination that Finch will rely on at times during the regular season. Finch even told reporters before the game that he may “have to” use McDaniels in the four-man team at times this year. This lineup certainly allows the Timberwolves to play faster.

Finch occasionally expressed his wish last season that the Wolves could get out in transition and find easier baskets, which wasn’t always easy with a two-man lineup that generally played slower. But with a lineup like the starting five on Friday night, the Wolves can play much faster. Reid is a quicker and more mobile big than Gobert, and with four wings around him, there are certainly opportunities to get out and run. The Timberwolves were also able to take advantage of this lineup offensively, scoring 70 points in the first half, including this buzzer-beater down the stretch from McDaniels.

This could be a second unit lineup that Finch uses frequently this season when he feels the Wolves need to move faster.

Reid scored a team-high 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting and had four boards and four assists entering Friday.

None of the Wolves started playing for more than 24 minutes. Conley played the fewest minutes of the group with 14.

Late in the second quarter, Timberwolves fans saw exactly what they expected from Edwards as he scored four straight baskets and Minnesota built a sizable first-half lead. Welcome back, Wolves basketball.

Overall, Edwards scored 16 points on 7-for-14 shooting, including 2 of 8 from 3-point range. He also had four rebounds, three assists and a steal and also did a good job controlling the ball, recording only one turnover.

Edwards appears to be well prepared for the regular season.

The start of the second half was difficult for the Timberwolves, starting with three turnovers in a row.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker committed two of them, Reid was responsible for the other. The 76ers opened the quarter with a 13-2 run to cut their deficit to single digits and force a Timberwolves timeout. Minnesota was able to calm down from there, but by that point Philadelphia had already gotten back into the game and it was going down to the wire. Turnovers were a problem for the Wolves on Friday night as they had 15 turnovers, and Alexander-Walker had four of those turnovers.

The Wolves, who gave everything in the first half, also opened the second half with a 1:5 result.

Whether any of the young Timberwolves players make it into the rotation this season will be an interesting story to follow. There are first-round draft picks Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr., who have both shown flashes and bring different things to the table, and there is Josh Minott, who Finch praised for all his work this summer.

All three of those players had plenty of action on Friday night, as did Luka Garza, who was back in the state where he is loved. Dillingham played the most of the group with 22 minutes, and although he shot just 2 for 8 from the field, he did a lot of little things and made the kind of hustle plays the Wolves would demand of him if he were to get a chance in the rotation.

Dillingham finished the game with seven points, nine assists, four rebounds and three steals, demonstrating his playing skills at full strength. Late in the game, Dillingham recovered a loose ball and threw it away from the 76ers’ Adem Bona so the Wolves could keep possession. These are the types of plays that can buy a young player time on the field.

Garza played 17 minutes and continued to showcase his scoring prowess, scoring 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting, including 2 of 3 from long range. Minott was also effective in his 17 minutes, scoring 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting.

Shannon attempted just two shots, missed both, and hit two free throws to score two points in 16 minutes.