Timberwolves’ Shimmy Celebration Shines in Victory Over Pistons

With their 123-104 win against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves at last exorcised the demons from their worst-ever season opener. Malik Beasley, the former mini-Micheal Jordan of the Utah Jazz known widely for his sharpshooter’s 3-point shimmy, stole the show. It was for a different, surprising reason. The Timberwolves certainly gave the Pistons a healthy dose of trash talk. Jumpstarted by Anthony Edwards and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, they even reenacted Beasley’s victory jig after hitting key 3-balls.

Player Beasley’s unique shimmy, for example, is an ode to his success kicking around the league Give Beas’ Jazz shimmy a ten. Today, it’s turned into such a memorable gesture with each of his goals. Edwards and Alexander-Walker each had a turn displaying their shimmy during the game. Their moves even injected a little fun and rivalry into the act. This provided an additional layer of high stakes charge to a game already crackling with dramatic tension.

The game was not without its tensions. A second-quarter fight that ejected five players and two coaches on both teams raised the stakes and tension on the court. Even through all of this disruption, the Timberwolves kept their heads about them and came away with a convincing enough win against the Pistons. This victory concluded their regular-season matchup with municipal rival Detroit.

On the scoring ledger, Malik Beasley made his second start of the season an impressive one, notching a game-high 27 points with six threes. Anthony Edwards was a big difference-maker, finishing with 25 points, including 20 third-quarter points, almost single-handedly keeping the Wolves afloat during that crucial stretch. At the same time, Nickeil Alexander-Walker contributed 11 points to the team’s total.

The Timberwolves tactical approach and intense play on the court was clear from the very beginning of the game. Their willingness to add some zest to the game through the addition of the shimmy celebration demonstrated their confidence level and their attitude as good sports.