The Timberwolves dominated the NBA’s worst team on Saturday night, winning by 20 points behind dominate performances from Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and the rest of their young core.
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Karl-Anthony Towns scored 30+ points and grabbed 10+ rebounds for the fourth time in the last five games and the Timberwolves won easily on Saturday night. Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Shabazz Muhammad all scored 18 or more points individually.
The first half featured the Wolves building what seemed like a series of double-digit leads followed by the Nets pulling within a single possession. Then, it would happen all over again. While it was disconcerting that Minnesota couldn’t focus in enough to keep and hold something resembling a commanding lead, they were more or less able to push the lead further whenever they choose to do so.
Towns, Wiggins, and LaVine had seven points apiece midway through the second quarter. Ricky Rubio picked up three fouls quickly, allowing Kris Dunn to play more first half minutes than the starter. Muhammad was the key in the second frame, pouring in three-pointers and playing with tenacity in the post and on the fast break.
The Wolves defense continued to be concerning at times, allowing far too many straight-line drives to the basket. Often times, it seemed as though Gorgui Dieng and occasionally Towns or Nemanja Bjeclia would not be in the proper spot as the Wolves’ perimeter defenders attempted to “ice” the pick-and-roll. If the rotation was late, the Nets guard with the ball would simply jet to the rim.
Offense wasn’t a problem in this one, however. While Thibodeau will no doubt be grumpy about the defensive lapses (and rightly so), his squad was able to put the Nets away early in the fourth quarter.
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After not attempting a three for the entire game to that point, Towns hit two threes in short order, sprinkled among a 12-point fourth quarter burst from Rubio. Wiggins was steady throughout, and while LaVine did the majority of his damage early, was strong down the stretch.
Gorgui Dieng had a rough second half stretch, and Muhammad played the stretch-four minutes while the game was still relatively close. But it was all over approximately midway through the final frame, and the Wolves sailed to a 20-point victory.
Star of the Night
Karl-Anthony Towns: 37 points (15-26 FG, 2-3 3P, 5-8 FT), 13 rebounds, 4 blocks, one assist, one steal, 2 turnovers
Towns was unstoppable for stretches, especially spanning the second and third quarters. While Brook Lopez was impressive and nigh-impossible for Towns and the Wolves to slow down on the other end of the floor, the Nets didn’t have a prayer of impeding KAT with the likes of Justin Hamilton, Quincy Acy, and Lopez — at least not one-on-one with no help.
Towns did most of his damage in the low post, only attempting a handful of jumpers. He was decent on the glass but once again had a series of lax plays on defense. Overall, however…wow.
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Wiggins was great, making a series of mid-range jumpers with ease. He did not draw as many foul calls while driving in the paint as perhaps he should have, but it was a solid performance. LaVine scored a quiet 20 points on just 11 shots and finally looked like his old self — at least in the second quarter.
Muhammad also had a big second quarter, hitting his first two three-point attempts once again, and was strong down the stretch as well. Rubio only played 22 minutes due to foul trouble, which was the main reason for the modest assist total. He entered the fourth quarter with just two points but ran his total up to 14 in a hurry as the Wolves put the Nets away for good.
Who’s Up Next?
The Timberwolves will host the Orlando Magic on Monday night at Target Center. Tip-off is at 7:00 Central Time as the Wolves look for what would be their eighth win over the last 11 games against the 18-30 Magic.
