The Timberwolves have secured their spot in the playoffs after overcoming the Los Angeles Clippers. And it wasn’t their leader Karl Anthony Towns who led the way. Instead, it was Anthony Edwards and DeAngelo Russell who chipped in 59 points together that got them over the mark. Russell was spectacular in the fourth and he got well-deserved praise from Shaquille O’Neal who called him the “X-Factor”.

The Minnesota Timberwolves took on the Los Angeles Clippers in the play-in tournament on Tuesday. The Wolves won 109-104 in a back-and-forth game and secured the 7th seed in the playoffs. They will take on Ja Morant and Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs.

The Wolves deserve high praise for their performance as they came back from 10 down in the fourth. They were not the favorites to go through and at one point; it looked like the Clippers had it in the bag. But Russell and the Wolves had other ideas.

Shaquille O’Neal praises D’Angelo Russell for carrying the Wolves despite Karl Anthony Towns’ poor showing

Towns did not have a great game as he finished with only 11 points and 4 turnovers. He also fouled out with over seven minutes left to play and had to watch the game from the bench. It was Russell and Edwards who made clutch plays down the stretch to put the Wolves over the Clippers.

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Russell’s performance left Shaq impressed. He said, ” This is why I’m so big on the others. Karl Anthony Towns, you expect him to have 28 or something, but he didn’t. A guy who is X-factor, D’Angelo Russell, he stepped up and you know, he played well.”

“Karl Anthony Towns should be in the locker room, thanking him and saying ‘ Whatever you need, I got you.”

For someone considered to be past his prime, this is very high praise. The Wolves surprised everyone by making the seventh seed and they finished above the fancied Lakers and Clippers.

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They will have a tough task in the next round as they face a young Grizzlies squad led by Ja Morant. The Grizzlies have been playing some spectacular basketball all season and they are one of the dark horses for the playoffs. But if the Wolves continue to get this level of production from Russell and Edwards, the Grizzlies will need to watch out.