Naz Reid got a taste of Anthony Edwards’ life Saturday at Target Center. With Minnesota down four of its top seven players, including Edwards, Reid quickly became the focal point of Portland’s defensive game plan.

“I just see what Ant go through,” Reid said. “Little less, but I see what Ant go through. It’s tough.”

Portland was switching every possible action and trying to deny Reid the ball so as not to allow Minnesota’s most dangerous available offensive option to impact the game. And it worked, for a while. Reid had just seven points at the half after taking only one shot in the second quarter.

Coming out of the break, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch felt like Minnesota had to get Reid the ball.

The big man’s touches came via numerous avenues. Reid was running off screens, setting screens, cutting and even bringing the ball up the floor himself. In the end, he helped the Timberwolves beat the surging Blazers 114-98.

“Some of them were just sets that we have to get him the ball, but he was pretty relentless in his pursuit of it,” Finch said. “With all the switching and stuff that they were doing, it was a little tough to find him, and with the upcourt pressure. So, he went and found himself, which is good.”

That’s what star scorers do. That’s a role Reid hasn’t had to fill often in his career when playing alongside the likes of Edwards and, previously, Karl-Anthony Towns. Reid has often been an effective secondary scorer, generally capitalizing off the gravity of his teammates.

But Saturday was an indication that he can find ways to put the ball in the bucket regardless of his surrounding circumstances.

“You get a little tired but, at that point, it’s mental, how much resiliency you have,” Reid said. “I think I’m just trying to play through all that, and then, on the other end, playing defense, as well. Just making stuff happen throughout the game, getting your teammates involved and stuff like that is key.”

That ability elevates Reid into a different tier of scorer. It’s one thing to be able to drop 20 points on any given night. It’s quite another to do so when a team — particularly one like Portland, who entered Saturday’s bout as a winner of 10 of its previous 11 contests — is going out of its way to limit your impact.

But Reid wouldn’t allow it. He worked hard to get the ball, and when he got it was a threat to score and create from anywhere on the floor. Reid’s 23 points came via attacks that featured an impressive level of ballhandling that resulted in step-back or side-step triples or looks around the bucket.

The 6-foot-10 forward’s bag of tricks is deep.

“Yeah, that’s stuff that I’ve been able to do, but with how good we are, obviously, you’ve got to wait your turn,” Reid said. “It’ll come, it’ll come. I just need to be patient and do what I’ve been doing. Those moments will come, and when they do, I’ll definitely make the best of them.”