Timberwolves Wrap: Skid ends with 30-point win
By Ben Beecken
The Timberwolves broke their nine-game losing streak by destroying the Phoenix Suns in a Sunday matinee at Target Center.
The Wolves started well, leading the free-falling Suns by a 24-23 margin after the first quarter, but it was from the second quarter on that the home team completely took charge.
The Suns showed little interest in playing at all, allowing the Wolves to do anything they pleased offensively. Andrew Wiggins paced Minnesota early, scoring 11 points in the opening frame and playing well in his 28 minutes of playing time before sitting out the entire fourth quarter.
Ricky Rubio tied Wiggins for the team lead with 18 points, shooting 6 of 11 from the floor including a pair of three-pointers. He had a great end to the first half and a fantastic start of the third quarter, spacing the floor while Wiggins and others took turns knifing through the Suns’ shoddy defense.
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The Timberwolves bench significantly outplayed the Suns’, rendering the use of the starters in the fourth quarter entirely useless. Nobody played more than Wiggins’ team-high 28 minutes, and Nikola Pekovic only needed to be on his surgically repaired ankles for about seven minutes.
The vast majority of the fourth quarter was garbage time, and it was good to see Zach LaVine run the point with supreme confidence and Nemanja Bjelica show aggressiveness in the drive-and-kick game, leading to three assists.
It was great to see the Timberwolves win a game going away — they even led by a season-high 34 points late in the fourth quarter. We’ll see if they can carry just a little bit of this good vibe into a road match-up with the 13-26 New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.
Tweet of the Night
Andre Miller alley-oop to @ZachLavine! @Timberwolves up big on @fsnorth | @FOXSportsLive #The1? #Twolves https://t.co/Pr9fE8LVlc
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) January 17, 2016
Star of the Night
Andrew Wiggins – 18 points (8-13 FG, 0-1 3P, 2-2 FT), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, one turnover
This was easily a top-five performance of the season for Wiggins. If it didn’t feel that way, it’s probably because he didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter and the Wolves won by 30 — there were no “big” moments.
But he was ultra-efficient and actually stuffed the stat sheet in a modest, Wiggins-y type of way. Four rebounds, four assists, and just one turnover on the night? We’ll take it.
Other Notable Timberwolves Lines
Karl-Anthony Towns – 14 points (5-8 FG, 1-1 3P, 3-3 FT), 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, one steal, one assist, 2 turnovers
Ricky Rubio – 18 points (6-11 FG, 2-5 3P, 4-4 FT), 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 turnovers
Gorgui Dieng – 15 points (4-6 FG, 7-7 FT), 6 rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block, 3 turnovers
Who’s Next
The Timberwolves head to New Orleans to take on the shockingly bad Pelicans. Both teams have 13 wins, and Anthony Davis hasn’t been quite the MVP candidate that many thought he would be this season.
Next: What Do the Wolves Need From Nikola Pekovic?
Of course, playing against The Brow on the road is never an easy thing to do, so this is far from an easy win. But it is a great opportunity to grab a second consecutive win, especially with a tough back-to-back on Wednesday night in Dallas.
After that, Sam Mitchell‘s squad will head back home for a Saturday evening date against the Memphis Grizzlies.