Timberwolves’ defensive excellence is rewarded in the recent ranking

The Minnesota Timberwolves had one of the better defenses in the competition last season. They finished sixth in the regular season in defensive rating and fourth under the 16 playoff teams in the late season.

On Friday, the NBA unveiled their top 50 defensive plays of the 2024-25 season. Both Jaden McDaniels and Mike Conley played plays of the Western Conference play -offs that found their way to the top 10.

The Blok of McDaniels considered the eighth best defensive game in 2024-25

The top two plays on the list were both end-of-game Mikal Bridges steal for the Knicks in their second round matchup against the Celtics. Both plays put the finishing touches on huge KOM-Van-Behind victories for New York.

The defensive game of McDaniels came in eighth place. It took place in the third quarter of their game 4 -matchup against the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.

It started with Anthony Edwards who was stripped. Alex Caruso dived to tap the loose ball at Cason Wallace at the forefront that led to a two-on-one fast break for the Thunder. Many defenders would have admitted a lay-up to the opponent and have moved to the next possession. But not McDaniels.

Wallace was wearing Jalen Williams who drove the floor to the bucket. McDaniels started blocking his shot, but instead Williams went to Wallace. Somehow, McDaniels was able to recover on time and to block Wallace’s Shot Milliseconds from Wallace before it hit the board. McDaniels was then able to press to secure the rebound before the ball ran outside the borders and completed what an incredibly defensive game was.

While the Timberwolves eventually lost the game with two losses and eventually lost the series, it was a play that will forever be part of McDaniels’ highlight Reel.

Mike Conley rejects all time of all time

Last season Conley’s 17th was in the competition, and he had the fifth best defensive game in 2024-25 according to the NBA. It came across one of the few players with more competition experience than he was in LeBron James.

The Timberwolves quadrates with the Lakers in the opening round of the Play -offs of 2025. In Game 4, less than halfway through the third quarter, James Conley Low Up Low, and Austin Reaves Looven it from about half -Court in the hands of James. It was a huge mismatch because James is mentioned as nine centimeters longer and 75 pounds. Heavier than Conley.

What happened afterwards was completely unexpected. James went up for the layout with two hands, but Conley went up with him and blocked the shot outside the borders. At the time of Cuey’s rejection, LA had risen 72-61. De Wolves defeated the Lakers 55-41 the rest of the game to achieve a three-point victory. Minnesota ended the series with a game 5 winning.