When the Minnesota Timberwolves announced their starting lineup about 40 minutes before tipoff against the Miami Heat, a familiar name rejoined the group.
Mike Conley returned as starting point guard on Friday night, a development that raised some eyebrows across Wolves Twitter. Conley had rested in the previous game against Charlotte on the second night of a back-to-back, with Donte DiVincenzo filling in as the starter — a role he had held before injuring his toe in January. DiVincenzo came off the bench in his first four games back from a 19-game absence, easing into the rotation. But with the team needing a boost, the timing seemed right to get DiVincenzo’s shooting and defense back with the starting group.
When coach Chris Finch decided to start Conley against the Heat, some wondered if the coach could just not quit on one of his favorite players, even if this one is a 37-year-old point guard who has started to look his age in his 18th season. But this wasn’t stubbornness from Finch. It was the opposite.
Finch is doing everything he must to scratch out wins as the Wolves claw their way into the top six in the Western Conference. If that means changing starting lineups on a nightly basis to match up with the opponent, something he has long been reluctant to do, so be it.
Conley validated the decision, scoring 15 points in 25 minutes of a tense 106-104 victory. He went 6 of 9 from the field, hit three 3-pointers and had two steals, leading the way during two crucial stretches of the game to give the Wolves just enough to survive a rock fight on South Beach.
Conley scored five quick points to get the Wolves off to a good start in the first quarter, then added seven in the third when Anthony Edwards missed the first five minutes due to illness. Needing offense, Conley threw his whole bag at the Heat, including a tricky little up-and-under against Kevin Love in the paint.
look at the footwork. 🤌 pic.twitter.com/ueJosZkkWX
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 8, 2025
“He was huge,” Finch told reporters after the game. “Huge in the first, got us rolling, also to start the second half. We didn’t have a whole lot out there. He was super aggressive and we need him to be aggressive in those situations.”
Conley has done so much for the Timberwolves since coming over in a trade from Utah two seasons ago. While he is not as fast or as strong or shooting as well this season, his last two games highlight why Finch is not giving up on him. Against Philadelphia on Tuesday, another ragged game against an undermanned opponent, Conley had 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists and was a plus-20 in 24:31 in a 14-point win.
The Wolves led the severely depleted 76ers by just three points to start the fourth quarter, and Finch elected to start the period without his two leading scorers, Edwards and Julius Randle, on the court. Before they took the floor, Conley pulled together Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels and DiVincenzo to get them locked in. The same five-man unit had built a double-digit lead in the first half, and now needed to do it again.
“This is the group,” Conley told them. “Let’s do it.”
The Wolves outscored Philadelphia 18-7 over the next three minutes, giving them control of a game that was teetering on the brink of out of control just a few minutes earlier.
“Uncle Mike, as everybody knows him,” Alexander-Walker said with a smile. “He’s going to uplift us. His wisdom, he has great feel for the game and there’s just that lineup where we knew earlier in that second quarter, and just remembering that.”
Finch loved the way the starters locked in versus Charlotte with DiVincenzo at point guard. But the bench included two rookies, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Rob Dillingham, and a sophomore (Jaylen Clark) along with Alexander-Walker. That quartet scored just 13 points.
“It’s been interesting just because our lineups have been so different game to game,” Conley said after the Philadelphia win. “We’re getting guys back and losing guys and have had to adjust to who is out there.”
That was in the back of Finch’s mind as the Wolves prepared to face the Heat, a hard-playing, well-coached group known for junking up the game with a bothersome zone defense. He needed intelligence and balance to grind out a seventh road game in the last 16 days.
With Rudy Gobert still out while rehabbing his back injury, the Wolves starting lineup has Edwards, Randle and Reid, all high-powered offensive players. Add in the blossoming McDaniels, and that’s a lot of the team’s offensive output.
Having Reid in the starting lineup also means the second unit is short on offense. If DiVincenzo started again, it would have required a really good shooting/scoring night from Alexander-Walker and/or Shannon to give the team the balance it needs. Moving DiVincenzo back to the bench gave the second unit another scorer, making it easier for Finch to construct lineups that could keep the points coming.
It would seem reasonable to assume that when Gobert does return, which could be as soon as Sunday against San Antonio, that Reid or Randle moves to the sixth man role. That would make it easier for Finch to bring DiVincenzo back into the starting role that was working so well for him before the injury.
Conley, Reid and DiVincenzo all scored 15 points against Miami, the first time in franchise history the Wolves have won a game when their leading scorer had 15 points or fewer. The Wolves were 0-39 when that happened before Friday night, per Opta STATS.
“We’ve got great players,” said Randle, who had 13 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. “Everybody’s gonna have their moments. It’s amazing that we can win in many different ways.”
Conley’s importance in this game was illustrated when he went to the bench in the third quarter with the Wolves up 11 points. The Heat responded with an 8-0 run over the next 22 seconds, fueled by two turnovers in the backcourt from Edwards and Randle, to give Miami life.
Edwards entered the second half with seven minutes to play in the third quarter, laboring noticeably while trying to keep his stomach calm. To his credit, he steeled himself. Edwards played the final 19 minutes of the game, only finishing with 13 points. But he grabbed 13 rebounds, dished out six assists and hit a huge 3 in the fourth.
step-back?
cash. 🐜 pic.twitter.com/1iW210JP5L— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 8, 2025
“Ant was awesome,” Finch said. “Led us in rebounding. A lot of those were in the air and in traffic.”
Perhaps the biggest sign of Finch’s increased flexibility is that he subbed Conley out 90 seconds into the fourth quarter and never went back to him, even though he was playing so well. Finch said he stuck with DiVincenzo, Edwards and Alexander-Walker on the perimeter so the defense could be as switchable as possible, and it paid off.
The Wolves (36-29) have won four straight games and are a season-high seven games above .500. The Heat did not have Andrew Wiggins, Kel’el Ware or Nikola Jović because of injuries, but they are still a frisky bunch. Minnesota remains in the seventh spot in the West, on the heels of sixth-seeded Golden State (35-28), with fifth-seeded Houston (38-25) three games ahead.
These last two games for Conley have been encouraging. But there likely will be nights down the stretch when he does not have it. Maybe the opponents are too big for him on the perimeter or maybe his shot isn’t falling like it has recently.
Before the playoffs last season, Conley addressed the team and told them to be ready to sacrifice playing time, shot attempts and anything else if they were going to make a deep playoff run. Conley said he would gladly give up his minutes and role if it meant a chance at his first NBA Finals appearance. The Wolves did not make it quite that far, losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference finals.
To go on a similar run this year would require even more focus, determination and sacrifice. If that time comes for Conley, he will be ready for it. But if he keeps playing the way he has his last two times out, the Wolves become a little more dangerous.
“That just shows we trust each other as a team and everybody is willing to do what it takes to win,” Randle told FanDuel Sports. “It’s time. Every game is important for us not just to win, but to build that confidence and momentum going down to the rest of the season. It’s time.”
(Photo: David Berding / Getty Images)
