Timberwolves rank among NBA's best in margin of victory
When the Minnesota Timberwolves win, they win big.
In Minnesota's three game win streak last week, the Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder a combined 316-283. The 11-point average margin of victory in the win streak is actually below the Wolves' season standard.
Heading into the matchup against San Antonio on Jan. 17, Minnesota ranks just below the 2015-16 runner-up Golden State Warriors in margin of victory.
Largest Average Margin of Victory, NBA 2016-17
| Team | Margin of Victory |
| Warriors | 17.2 |
| Pistons | 14.6 |
| Timberwolves | 14.6 |
| Clippers | 14.1 |
| Raptors | 13.6 |
The largest margin of victory in a single game this season was a 36-point win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 1. Eleven different players scored in that game, which was also Minnesota's first win of the season. The 36-point margin of victory in a single game is tied for fourth in franchise history, behind the Wolves' biggest win ever — a 127-74 win over the Chicago Bulls on Nov. 8, 2001.
A big part of their large margin of victory this season has been the outstanding offensive play of center Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 2015-16 averaging 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. In his second year, KAT has improved in every category: 21.8 PPG, 11.9 RPG and 3.0 APG.
His 21.8 points per game leads all starting centers this season:
Most Points per Game as Starting Center, NBA 2016-17
| Player | Points per game |
| Karl-Anthony Towns, Min | 21.8 |
| Brook Lopez, Bkn | 20.1 |
| Joel Embiid, Phi | 19.6 |
| Marc Gasol, Mem | 19.4 |
| Hassan Whiteside, Mia | 17.5 |
Statistics courtesy of STATS, basketball-reference.com
