Timberwolves' coach Chris Finch credits cleaner defense on slowing down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Alex Walsh

Timberwolves' coach Chris Finch credits cleaner defense on slowing down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander image

In the Timberwolves' blowout win on Saturday night, they limited the 24-25 NBA MVP from his usual production.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just 14 points on 4/13 from the field.

Head Coach Chris Finch attributed Minnesota's defensive tactics to slowing down SGA in Game 3.

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What did Finch say about the change in defense on SGA?

When asked in a postgame press conference, Finch answered about how they guarded SGA, saying, "Do you want me to tell you? We were a little cleaner around him, didn't foul."

Shai notably only shot four free throws on the night after fans complained on social media about his tactics to draw fouls.

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Minnesota knew they would have to take away this part of Shai's game to throw him out of his rhythm, which they did successfully.

Shai was a -32 on the court in just 28 minutes on Saturday night.

His plus-minus Saturday night was the second worst in his playoff career, the worst since he had a -33 against the Warriors in 2019.

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Alex Walsh

Alex is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. A current Sports Media major at Hofstra University in New York, he is a huge Celtics and NBA fan who gets way too many notifications from NBA insiders on X. He became interested in PDC Darts at the beginning of 2024 and has been obsessed ever since.