Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Plays hero in final seconds
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Alexander-Walker ended Tuesday's 140-139 double-overtime victory over the Nuggets with 26 points (8-16 FG, 5-11 3Pt, 5-7 FT), seven rebounds, eight assists and two blocks in 45 minutes.
The game had 21 lead changes and two overtime periods, but the win was sealed in the final seconds with two made free throws after a careless foul by Russell Westbrook. Westbrook fouled Alexander-Walker beyond the arc and purposely missed the third free throw to run out the final tenth of a second. Alexander-Walker won't turn many heads as a fantasy prospect, but Donte DiVincenzo's (suspension) absence allowed him some extra opportunities off the bench.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Productive off bench
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Alexander-Walker totaled eight points (4-8 FG, 0-3 3Pt), nine rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes in Monday's 132-130 overtime loss to the Pacers.
Alexander-Walker was effective on the floor Monday, making shots in the paint and hustling for rebounds. An early ejection of Rudy Gobert shortened the Timberwolves bench, which contributed to the 26-year-old playing his most minutes since March 5. In nine games in March, Alexander-Walker is averaging 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 23.6 minutes per game.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Pops for 20 off bench
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Alexander-Walker closed with 20 points (8-11 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 1-1 FT), three rebounds, three assists and two steals in 27 minutes off the bench during Tuesday's 126-112 win over the 76ers.
After being held scoreless in 26 minutes Sunday against Phoenix, Alexander-Walker bounced back and scored at least 20 points for the third time in his last 11 appearances (six starts). Over that stretch, the 26-year-old wing is averaging 13.4 points, 3.9 boards, 3.3 assists, 2.4 threes and 1.3 combined steals and blocks in 32.8 minutes a contest while shooting 40.6 percent from beyond the arc.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Retreats to bench Sunday
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Alexander-Walker will come off the bench during Sunday's game against the Suns.
Alexander-Walker will return to a bench role due to Anthony Edwards (suspension) being back in the lineup. In his last three games off the bench, Alexander-Walker has averaged 17.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 34.3 minutes per contest.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Drops 21 off bench Monday
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Alexander-Walker totaled 21 points (7-12 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 5-6 FT), five rebounds, three assists and one block in 35 minutes off the bench during Monday's 131-128 overtime victory over the Thunder.
The 26-year-old wing drained multiple threes for the fourth straight game as Alexander-Walker continues to step up with Donte DiVincenzo (toe) out of the lineup. Over the last 13 contests, Alexander-Walker has averaged 32.9 minutes a game while producing 13.0 points, 4.2 boards, 3.2 assists and 2.7 threes. DiVincenzo could return by the end of the week, however, and Alexander-Walker's usage and court time will likely shrink considerably once that happens.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Slotted to bench
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Alexander-Walker will come off the bench during Sunday's game against the Thunder.
Alexander-Walker has started the last five games due to Donte DiVincenzo (toe) being out of the lineup, but he will come off the bench Sunday with Jaylen Clark entering the starting five. In his last three games in a bench role, Alexander-Walker averaged 5.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 27.0 minutes per contest.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Solid outing in start
Rotowire
Alexander-Walker logged 14 points (5-11 FG, 4-9 3Pt), six rebounds and two assists in 30 minutes during Thursday's 116-101 victory over Oklahoma City.
The 26-year-old guard delivered a solid performance in his extended playing time with Mike Conley (finger) and Donte DiVincenzo (toe) on the shelf. Alexander-Walker sank four triples in the win, marking his 13th appearance of the season with at least three three-pointers. The sixth-year pro has started in each of the club's last four outings, averaging 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 three-pointers in 31.8 minutes per contest.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Scores 21 points in spot start
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Alexander-Walker chipped in 21 points (7-13 FG, 4-8 3Pt, 3-3 FT), six assists, five rebounds, one block and one steal over 38 minutes during Saturday's 114-98 win over Portland.
The 26-year-old received the starting nod with Anthony Edwards (hip) sidelined, tying Rob Dillingham for the team-high mark in assists. Alexander-Walker also sank four triples in the victory, something he has done only six times this season. The sixth-year pro has joined the starting five in three of the club's last six outings, and he has averaged 11.0 points, 3.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 three-pointers across 32.0 minutes per contest in that six-game span.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Back in starting lineup
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Alexander-Walker will start Saturday's game against Portland.
With Anthony Edwards (hip) and Mike Conley (finger) sidelined, Alexander-Walker and Rob Dillingham will move into the starting lineup. Across his previous four starts this season, Alexander-Walker has averaged 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals in 32.8 minutes per game.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Starting sans Conley
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Alexander-Walker will start in Thursday's game against the Jazz, Dane Moore of 'The Dane Moore NBA Podcast' reports.
The 26-year-old will get the starting nod for just the third time this season with Mike Conley (thumb) on the shelf. Alexander-Walker is coming off a season-high 23 points in Wednesday's win over the Suns, and he has averaged 10.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 26.4 minutes per game over his last five appearances.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Red-hot from deep in win
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Alexander-Walker posted 23 points (8-14 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and one assist in 35 minutes during Wednesday's 121-113 victory over the Suns.
Alexander-Walker took advantage of the 35 minutes he was on the floor for the Timberwolves in Wednesday's win against the Suns. The 26-year-old guard dropped a season-high 23 points while being red-hot from beyond the arc, hitting five of the 10 attempts from deep. He's averaging a career-high 40.5 percent from three-point range for Minnesota this season.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Dealing with lower leg injury
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Alexander-Walker sustained a lower left leg contusion during Monday's 100-92 win over the Hawks, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reports.
Alexander-Walker supplied five points (2-7 FG, 1-5 3Pt), nine rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes before exiting the game midway through the fourth quarter. The 26-year-old wasn't able to put much weight on his leg on the way to the locker room, and his status will be something to monitor ahead of Wednesday's game against the Suns.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Helped to locker room
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Alexander-Walker went to the locker room during the fourth quarter of Monday's game against the Hawks due to an apparent lower body injury, Jack Borman of Locked On Sports Minnesota reports. He totaled five points (2-7 FG, 1-5 3Pt), nine rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes before exiting.
Alexander-Walker required assistance getting to the locker room after hitting the deck hard. He wasn't able to put much weight on his lower half on his way off the floor, so he'll presumably remain out for the final few minutes of Monday's matchup.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Scores five points
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Alexander-Walker logged five points (2-10 FG, 1-4 3Pt), five rebounds and one assist in 22 minutes during Monday's 108-106 loss to Memphis.
With Rob Dillingham starting to emerge for Minnesota, Alexander-Walker is taking a back seat in this offense. Alexander-Walker has been held to single-digit points in seven straight games, so he won't be a popular fantasy pickup in the absence of Donte DiVincenzo (toe).
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Balanced output off bench
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Alexander-Walker ended Saturday's 119-105 loss to the Pistons with seven points (2-8 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 1-2 FT), two rebounds, three assists and two blocks across 28 minutes.
The Timberwolves didn't have their best performance Saturday and struggled on offense all game long. However, Alexander-Walker had a decent stat line and recorded at least two tallies in five of the six major categories. The shooting line was subpar after going 2-for-8 from the field, but fantasy managers who decided to start Alexander-Walker, particularly as a streaming option in category-based leagues, should be relatively happy with his contributions in this 14-point defeat.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Good to go against Houston
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Alexander-Walker (illness) is available for Friday's game versus the Rockets, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Alexander-Walker has been upgraded from questionable to available Friday despite dealing with an illness. The 26-year-old guard is averaging 9.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 21.8 minutes across his previous 10 appearances.
Alexander-Walker (illness) is listed as questionable for Friday's game against Houston.
Alexander-Walker was a late addition to the injury report and is in jeopardy of missing his first game of the season Friday. If the 26-year-old is sidelined, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Minott are candidates for an uptick in playing time off the bench.
Alexander-Walker finished with eight points (3-7 FG, 2-4 3Pt), three rebounds, two assists and one steal across 15 minutes during Wednesday's 105-99 win over the Mavericks.
Alexander-Walker scored single digits for the second time in the past three games, adding very little in terms of peripheral production. The Timberwolves are struggling to find a guard rotation that works, resulting in an unpredictable timeshare for Alexander-Walker. With that said, he is currently averaging a career-high 23.4 minutes per game, putting up 9.4 points, 0.9 steals and 1.7 three-pointers.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Plays well off bench
Rotowire
Alexander-Walker ended Sunday's 106-92 victory over the Spurs with 17 points (6-15 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 3-3 FT), three rebounds, three assists and two steals over 24 minutes.
This was a comfortable win for Minnesota, so Alexander-Walker was afforded a few extra minutes off the bench. His production has been very sporadic this season, making him hard to trust outside of deeper formats. Over his last six games, he's averaging 11.0 points, 2.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds, 0.7 steals and 1.8 three-pointers in 22.2 minutes per game.
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Timberwolves' Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Season-best effort off bench
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Alexander-Walker finished Sunday's 114-106 loss to Golden State with 19 points (7-9 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 1-2 FT), one rebound, one assist and one block over 24 minutes off the bench.
The 26-year-old wing set a new season high in points, and his four made threes were his second-best showing from beyond the arc. Alexander-Walker has scored in double digits in five of the last seven games, averaging 12.7 points, 2.9 boards, 2.4 assists and 2.3 threes in 24.0 minutes a contest while shooting 57.9 percent from the floor and 48.5 percent (16-for-33) from long distance.
