Timberwolves Wrap: Impressive road streak continues with win over Kings

The Timberwolves won on the road once again, besting the Sacramento Kings by a final score of 101-91.

It was an odd game, but nonetheless one that the Wolves nearly led from wire-to-wire. The visitors managed to outscore the Kings in each quarter of the game, and led by one or two possessions for much of the contest before pulling away late in the fourth quarter.

Ricky Rubio sat out the game with a sore ankle for the Timberwolves while Kings star center DeMarcus Cousins also missed the tilt. The Wolves had lost their past 16 games without Rubio in the lineup until Friday night’s win.

It was a back-and-forth offensive affair early on with a barrage of three-pointers from the Wolves and a quick-strike offense led by Rajon Rondo for the Kings. The benches slowed down the game a bit in the second quarter, but the Timberwolves expanded their lead to 53-47 at the break.

The Kings surged in the third quarter and pulled to within one point before the visitors went back on the attack behind another solid stretch from the Andre Miller-led bench. Miller himself finished with 12 points on 4 of 4 shooting with four assists and he captained the ship while Zach LaVine took a breather.

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After a late flurry from the Wolves made it a seven-point game heading to the final frame, Sam Mitchell began reinserting much of his starting lineup as Minnesota built their lead into double-digits. Curiously, Karl-Anthony Towns once again did not play at all in the fourth quarter and only saw 21 minutes of action on the night. He was in early foul trouble which limited his early playing time, but it’s more than a bit puzzling that he sat for the entirety of the fourth quarter.

At any rate, a rather head-scratching lineup of LaVine-Kevin Martin–Tayshaun Prince–Andrew Wiggins–Gorgui Dieng finished out the game. For the second consecutive game an unorthodox lineup worked, but here’s hoping that Mitchell doesn’t think that this will keep working, especially against playoff-caliber teams, one of which is coming up on Sunday in the form of the Los Angeles Clippers.

All things considered, however, it was a fun win that saw the Wolves win in part by launching a lot of three-pointers and actually rebounding the ball fairly well and knocking down a high rate of free throws. It was a recipe for success that Timberwolves fans are hoping to see more of as the season moves along.

Tweet of the Night

The above tweet is Clippers’ coach Doc Rivers talking about your Minnesota Timberwolves. Savor it.

Clip of the Night

Star of the Night

Andrew Wiggins – 22 points (8-17 FG, 1-3 3P, 5-6 FT), 6 rebounds, one assist, one block, one turnover

Wiggins wasn’t required to take over the game in quite the same way he had earlier in the week in home wins over the Philadelphia 76ers and the Atlanta Hawks, but he did enough down the stretch to easily win Star of the Night honors. He was efficient and smart with the basketball, and the monster tip-slam featured above came during a crucial stretch while the Kings still had designs on coming back to take the lead in the game.

The reigning Rookie of the Year also did an outstanding job in helping to guard Rudy Gay who shot a putrid 1 of 13 from the field and finished with just two points and four rebounds on the night.

Other Notable Timberwolves Lines

• Zach LaVine – 19 points (7-14 FG, 1-6 3P, 4-4 FT), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 turnovers
• Karl-Anthony Towns – 7 points (3-5 FG, 1-1 3P), 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 21 minutes
• Gorgui Dieng – 8 points (2-4 FG, 4-4 FT), 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers, 26 minutes
• Shabazz Muhammad – 15 points (5-8 FG, 3-5 3P, 2-2 FT), one rebounds, 2 turnovers

Up Next

The Timberwolves will head south to Los Angeles to face the 8-8 Clippers in a Sunday matinee that will tip-off at 2:30 p.m. Central Time. That’s right, the Wolves have an identical record as the Chris Paul and Doc Rivers Clippers through the first 16 games of the season.

Next: Damjan Rudez Might Be A Hidden Gem

It would seem that Rubio would have a chance to play on Sunday as he was a game time decision in Sacramento, and Nemanja Bjelica has to be close to suiting once again as well. Stay tuned to Dunking With Wolves for any news on the injury front throughout the weekend.