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[Saba Sports News] The Minnesota Timberwolves delivered a heartfelt assist to Joe Ingles and his family on Friday night.
In a touching gesture, head coach Chris Finch gave the veteran forward a surprise start against the New Orleans Pelicans at Target Center — Ingles’ first start since the 2021-22 season. The move wasn’t about matchups or strategy. It was about family.
The decision was made with Ingles’ autistic son, Jacob, in mind. Jacob has struggled to attend NBA games in the past due to sensory overload, but on Wednesday, he made it through his first full live game — even though his dad didn’t see the floor in the Timberwolves’ narrow 119–115 loss to the Pelicans.
With Jacob attending again on Friday, Finch made sure Joe was on the court from the opening tip.
“Sometimes, you’ve got to do the human thing,” Finch said postgame. “We always talk about how all these minutes matter, and those minutes mattered for another reason.”
He added that the idea was suggested to him earlier in the day. “I figured if we’re going to do it, let’s do it in style,” he said.
Ingles didn’t make much noise in the box score — missing all three shot attempts and recording one assist in six minutes — but the moment carried weight far beyond stats.
And maybe it sparked something, too. Two days after losing to the Pelicans, Minnesota bounced back with a dominant 134–93 win.