Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Returns to bench Friday
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Alexander-Walker is not in the Timberwolves' starting lineup Friday against the Kings.
Alexander-Walker will retreat to the bench Friday as Mike Conley returns from a one-game absence due to rest. Alexander-Walker started Wednesday against the Trail Blazers, logging 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block across 32 minutes.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Slides into starting role in loss
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Alexander-Walker closed with 13 points (5-11 FG, 3-7 3Pt), five rebounds, three assists, one block and three steals over 32 minutes during Wednesday's 106-98 loss to the Trail Blazers.
The Timberwolves adjusted their lineup to account for Mike Conley's (rest) absence, opting for a combo of Alexander-Walker and Anthony Edwards in the backcourt. In his first start of the season, Alexander-Walker matched a season high with five rebounds and also posted his second-highest scoring total of the season. Alexander-Walker's minutes have crept up as a reserve over the past two weeks, but he's not producing enough to warrant fantasy consideration, even in the deepest of leagues.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Starting sans Conley
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Alexander-Walker will start Wednesday's game against the Trail Blazers.
Mike Conley is resting Wednesday, opening a spot in the first unit for Alexander-Walker. Though it'll be Alexander-Walker's first start of the season, he's been an important piece for the Timberwolves. He's averaging 8.4 points, 2.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals across 23.5 minutes per game.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Dishes out five dimes in win
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Alexander-Walker provided eight points (2-6 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds, five assists, one block and three steals over 24 minutes during Friday's 119-116 win over the Nuggets.
Alexander-Walker continues to be one of Minnesota's primary backcourt options off the bench, as he is averaging 22.2 minutes across five appearances. The 26-year-old guard is also on fire from beyond the arc to begin the 2024-25 campaign, converting 63.2 percent of his 3.8 three-point attempts per contest.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Solid contributions in loss
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Alexander-Walker logged 11 points (4-7 FG, 3-5 3Pt), two rebounds, three assists and one steal across 24 minutes during Tuesday's 120-114 loss to Dallas.
Alexander-Walker was effective offensively while having similar workloads to Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo as headliners of the second unit. Mike Conley logged only 22 minutes, with Alexander-Walker helping crowdsource point guard duties in his off minutes.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Ready to go for Opening Night
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Alexander-Walker (rest) will be available for Tuesday's regular-season opener against the Lakers.
Alexander-Walker was held out of the Timberwolves' preseason finale against the Nuggets on Thursday, but he will suit up for Tuesday's regular-season opener. Alexander-Walker is looking to build off a solid 2023-24 campaign, during which he averaged 8.0 points, 2.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds across 23.4 minutes per game across 82 regular-season contests (including 20 starts).
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Resting vs. Denver
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Alexander-Walker won't play in Thursday's preseason game against the Nuggets due to rest purposes.
Alexander-Walker will get the night off after logging 22 minutes in Wednesday's preseason game against the Bulls. Expect Rob Dillingham, Terrence Shannon, Daishen Nix and Josh Minott to eat up the majority of the backcourt minutes Thursday evening.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Minimal impact in loss
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Alexander-Walker recorded zero points (0-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt), one assist and two steals in 14 minutes during Thursday's 124-103 loss to the Mavericks in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.
Alexander-Walker averaged just 3.4 points, 1.6 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 15.4 minutes across the Western Conference. He also struggled mightily with his efficiency, shooting 28.6 percent from the field and 18.8 percent from three across the five contests. However, the 25-year-old guard converted 39.1 percent of his 4.1 three-point attempts per game during the regular season and will head into the 2024-25 campaign under the last year of his two-year, $9 million contract.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Moves to bench
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Alexander-Walker will move to the bench for Thursday's Game 6 versus Denver.
This is an expected move with Mike Conley back from his injury. Alexander-Walker fared well in his spot start in Game 5, producing 14 points (5-12 FG, 4-8 3Pt), two rebounds, five assists and two blocks across 39 minutes.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Serviceable in spot start
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Alexander-Walker amassed 14 points (5-12 FG, 4-8 3Pt), two rebounds, five assists and two blocks across 39 minutes during Tuesday's 112-97 loss to the Nuggets in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Alexander-Walker moved into the starting lineup Tuesday, replacing Mike Conley who was ruled out due to an Achilles issue. While he was far from spectacular, Alexander-Walker cobbled together a serviceable performance, contributing on both ends of the floor. Now trailing 3-2 in the series, Minnesota will hope Conley is cleared to return for Game 6. If that's not the case, expect to see Alexander-Walker running with the starters again.
Alexander-Walker is in the starting five for Tuesday's Game 5 against the Nuggets.
Alexander-Walker will replace Mike Conley (Achilles) in the starting lineup Tuesday. Alexander-Walker averaged 11.5 points, 3.6 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 32.3 minutes across his previous 10 starting appearances this season, which all came during the regular season.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Not on injury report
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Alexander-Walker (shoulder) is not on the injury report ahead of Sunday's Game 4 against the Nuggets.
Alexander-Walker appeared to hurt his left shoulder during Game 3 on Friday, and he was complaining about the pain in the locker room after the game. However, it appears that he escaped without anything too serious, and fantasy managers can expect him to suit up in his usual role Sunday.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Appears to hurt shoulder Friday
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Alexander-Walker played through an apparent left shoulder injury before he was ejected with 5:44 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Timberwolves' 117-90 loss to the Nuggets in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinal round, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "Right now, it hurts," Alexander-Walker said of his shoulder. "We'll see what happens [Saturday] when I wake up and everything's settled."
Alexander-Walker scored six points (2-5 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and added two assists in 26 minutes off the bench before he and Kyle Anderson were both assessed technical fouls midway through the fourth quarter for arguing with officials. He appeared to hurt his shoulder shortly before the ejection, as he was on the receiving end of a hard screen, and his frustration with the officials stemmed from what he perceived as a missed foul call. The reserve wing's status is now in question for Sunday's Game 4.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Shines off bench in Game 2
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Alexander-Walker accumulated 14 points (5-9 FG, 4-7 3Pt), six rebounds, one assist and three blocks in 30 minutes during Monday's 106-80 win over the Nuggets in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
As has been the case throughout the entire playoff run, Alexander-Walker was impressive and provided a scoring punch off the bench, unsettling the Nuggets with his long-range shooting and energy. Alexander-Walker averaged just 8.0 points per game during the regular season, but he's taken his play to another level in the playoffs, scoring in double digits in four of his six appearances while upping his scoring average to 11.3 points per game.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Quiet in Game 4 win
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Alexander-Walker finished Sunday's 122-116 victory over Phoenix in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs with five points (2-9 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 1-1 FT), three rebounds, four assists and two steals in 31 minutes.
Alexander-Walker wasn't able to get much going offensively, but coach Chris Finch still trusted him with a significant workload. That's been the case for the entire series, as Alexander-Walker averaged 12.3 points, 4.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.3 three-pointers in 31.0 minutes per game as the Timberwolves completed their sweep of the Suns.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Leads bench offensively in win
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Alexander-Walker ended Saturday's 120-95 win over Phoenix in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals with 18 points (7-12 FG, 4-9 3Pt), four rebounds, two assists and four steals in 29 minutes.
Alexander-Walker led all bench players in Saturday's Game 1 in scoring while ending two points shy of the 20-point mark and swiping a team-high quartet of steals to lead the second unit. Alexander-Walker, who also connected on a team-high-tying mark from three Sunday, tallied 18 or more points in five games during the regular season while connecting on four or more threes in seven contests.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Stands out with 23-point effort
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Alexander-Walker notched 23 points (9-19 FG, 4-9 3Pt, 1-2 FT), four rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals over 31 minutes during Tuesday's 130-121 win over the Wizards.
Alexander-Walker is ending the regular season on a solid note. He's scored in double digits in four straight games, marking his longest streak of the season reaching that feat. Even though his upside is limited due to his bench role, Alexander-Walker should continue to play a vital role in Minnesota's rotation.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Will come off bench
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Alexander-Walker will return to a reserve role Friday in Phoenix.
After starting in place of Mike Conley (rest), Alexander-Walker will be back to his usual role off the bench. He has averaged 7.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists across 21.3 minutes in 56 games as a reserve this year.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Loigs 14 points in spot start
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Alexander-Walker produced 14 points (5-7 FG, 4-6 3Pt), two rebounds, three assists and one steal in 23 minutes during Wednesday's 133-85 victory over Toronto.
The team gave Mike Conley (rest) the night off, giving Alexander-Walker the initial crack with the first unit. Eventually, the Timberwolves emptied their bench in the blowout and gave Monte Morris and Jordan McLaughlin time in the backcourt as well. Alexander-Walker drained four three-pointers in 23 minutes on the floor, logging his best total since exploding for 28 points against the Clippers on March 12.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Starting at point guard Wednesday
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Alexander-Walker will start in Wednesday's game against the Raptors.
Alexander-Walker will step into Mike Conley's (rest) vacated starting spot, marking his 20th start of the campaign. In his previous 19, Alexander-Walker averaged 9.5 points, 3.2 assists and 2.8 rebounds.
