Nickeil Alexander-Walker walked to the free-throw line with 0.1 seconds remaining and the Minnesota Timberwolves down 139-138. Moments earlier, he had run at a dead sprint to contest a Russell Westbrook layup, get the rebound, and sprinted back to the offensive side of the court to set himself up for the shot attempt.
Westbrook closed out hard and clipped Alexander-Walker in the leg, creating a dream situation.
As he stood on the free-throw line, Alexander-Walker was dripping with sweat after playing 27 consecutive minutes of basketball. He exhaled, dribbled once, and, with perfect form, swished the first free throw. The ref returned the ball to him for the second shot. He exhaled again, dribbled once, and drained the shot.
Alexander-Walker thumped his chest as Joe Ingles went wild on the bench. He missed the third intentionally to win the game, completing a 16-point comeback victory for the Wolves.
Minnesota’s victory in Denver was the culmination of a season’s worth of work, consistency, and leadership for Alexander-Walker. Something that fans and teammates of his have acknowledged, including Anthony Edwards, who made sure to share the postgame moment with Alexander-Walker.
“[Alexander-Walker] made big shots for us, all game, every quarter,” Edwards said. “Whenever we needed it, he came through in the clutch. He made the right plays. He was poised down the stretch. So whatever I did don’t matter. What he did, he was the MVP tonight.”
Making the right plays and doing whatever the Wolves need has become a specialty for Alexander-Walker. Something he spoke about on December 11, after practice after a frustrating 114-106 loss in San Francisco three days earlier.
“Honestly, you got to control what you can,” he said.
“If you want to play, you got to affect winning,” Alexander-Walker continued. “For me, the best way to make sure I’m out there is how do I affect the team in a positive way?”
Two days later, the Wolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 97-87 at home, followed by a 106-92 win over the San Antonio Spurs on the road. The wins capped a 6-1 stretch for the Wolves, with five of those wins coming against playoff teams.
Two weeks ago, Alexander-Walker echoed a similar sentiment about how he approaches leadership at practice after losing to the New Orleans Pelicans 119-115 the evening before.
“As a leader in my role and for any other role, and I’m sure in everyone’s workplace, they would hate to work with that person who’s always talking about it and never doing it,” he said. “So for me, it’s how do I lead by example.”
Since he said that, the Wolves have been 4-1, including winning a double-overtime 140-139 classic over the Nuggets, in which Alexander-Walker was the consistent driving force behind the victory. Minnesota’s win in Denver was the perfect example of Alexander-Walker’s impact throughout the season.
Minnesota started slow against the Nuggets, with the starting lineup falling behind by 16 points early after only 5:50 of play. Denver outhustled the Wolves, forced the starters into three early turnovers, and they looked disorganized and disjointed.
However, that changed almost immediately when Alexander-Walker checked in. Following Alexander-Walker’s example, the Wolves crawled back into what could have been a blowout game.
In the remaining 6:10 of the quarter, Alexander-Walker scored three points, snagged two rebounds, and dished out three assists. He played perfectly in his role as the Wolves cut the lead down to six. Alexander-Walker had a Wolves-best +10 in the first quarter, and the energy began to shift.
As a result of his play in the first quarter, Alexander-Walker played all 12 minutes in the second quarter, meaning he played 18 consecutive minutes. He added ten more points, three rebounds, and two assists. His +5 would mean the Wolves closed the gap to just a one-point deficit going into halftime, and Alexander-Walker had a game-high +15.
The Timberwolves started the third by giving Alexander-Walker a breather, going the first 7:11 with him on the bench. In that time, Minnesota scrapped together a one-point lead, 69-68, before he checked back in. Once again, Alexander-Walker impacted the win, scoring five points in the remaining 4:49 as the Wolves expanded their lead to five points.
Remarkably, Alexander-Walker played all 12 minutes in the fourth quarter, meaning that after playing 18 straight minutes in the first half, he played just under 17 straight minutes in the second half. As the game went to overtime, he had an impressive 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists, with just 1 turnover on 36 minutes of play.
Alexander-Walker was consistent again in overtime, thriving in situations where he could drive winning. In the first half, the Wolves needed a spark. They needed a facilitator and spacer in the second and a closer in overtime. After missing a three with 41 seconds to go and a mid-range attempt to win the game in the first overtime period, Alexander-Walker regained focus in the second.
He knocked down a clutch three with 32 seconds remaining to bring the Wolves up 138-137. The rest is history. He sealed the game with free throws. Alexander-Walker finished the game playing 44:59 in only two stints. His 26 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists coincided with a team-high +14 for the game. He again filled his role perfectly for the shorthanded Wolves.
By winning, the Wolves took one step closer to avoiding the play-in. After winning in Denver, they are tied with the Memphis Grizzlies at 44-32 for the coveted six-seed. Although Memphis holds the tiebreaker due to winning the individual series between the two teams, the Wolves play them on April 10 in what could be a season-defining game.
Minnesota faces a lot of uncertainty down the stretch. However, with six games remaining, the Wolves can be sure that Alexander-Walker will do everything the team needs to beat the Grizzlies and lead them into the playoffs.
