Timberwolves Wrap: Wolves lose frustrating game in OT

The Timberwolves took a frustrating overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night by a final score of 106-94.

In a game that saw the Wolves lead by a modest margin for the majority of the game, the ending couldn’t have been much worse. The Wolves were playing well on both ends before succumbing to sloppy play in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime.

Chandler Parsons got hot in overtime to put the Wolves away and ended with a stat line of 30 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. Wesley Matthews chipped in with 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists of his own to help the Mavericks complete their comeback.

The Wolves enjoyed a massive game from Karl-Anthony Towns, who poured in 27 points to go along with a career-high 17 rebounds and six blocks in valiant effort that unfortunately fell just short. Andrew Wiggins also had a big game, scoring 23 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists.

The game started without a couple of familiar superstars, as both Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett sat out.

Nikola Pekovic started in KG’s place, and while the defense was noticeably worse as a result of that change, the Wolves got off to a hot start in the first quarter thanks to KAT and Wiggins, who had nine points and 13 points, respectively, in the opening frame. The Wolves ended the quarter with a double digit lead at 33-23.

The all-bench unit began the second quarter, and while the defense was a little worse than it was in the first quarter, Shabazz Muhammad and Kevin Martin had the offense still clicking. The offense slowed down towards the end of the half, though, and the Mavs came back to tie it up at 49 heading into intermission.

More from Dunking with Wolves

• The dream starting 5 for Minnesota Timberwolves 5 years from now
• Anthony Edwards’ latest accolade is a great sign of things to come
• In an OT thriller, Team Canada snatches Bronze from Team USA
• Timberwolves start, bench, cut: Mike Conley, Shake Milton, Jordan McLaughlin
• Which Timberwolves roster additions have upgraded the bench?

The third quarter saw some great play from the Wolves, but it wasn’t enough to shake the Mavs off for long. Towns had nine points, eight rebounds, and three blocks in the third quarter alone, and that included a fantastic sequence where he saved an offensive rebound, got a return pass in the post, and then hammered it home.

On the ensuing Mavs possession, he had 2 huge blocks before forcing Deron Williams into an airballed floater.

Towns brought a ton of energy for the Wolves, but they ended the third quarter up just 67-64. It felt like the Wolves were winning by much more than that, especially with the Mavs shooting a horrific 2-17 from deep at that point, but the Mavs just kept clawing their way back into the game.

The Wolves’ bench helped build the lead to as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter, and up until about six minutes remaining, the whole team was playing well and the offense was as smooth as it’s been all season. However, in those closing minutes, the Wolves began to tighten up and the Mavs began their run.

The Mavs were able to come back and tie the game at 89, and they got the ball with about 28 seconds remaining. Wiggins forced Matthews into a tough three-point attempt, and Muhammad corralled the rebound with 2.5 showing on the clock.

He sprinted down the court, crossed halfcourt as time was winding down… and failed to get a shot off at all. Bazz drove all the way to the hoop after time had expired right about when he hit the three-point line. Just a mind-numbing play on a night where the Wolves played well enough to win.

In overtime, Chandler Parsons took over, and that was that. It was simply an incredibly frustrating loss for the Timberwolves in this one.

Tweet of the Night

Star of the Night

Karl-Anthony Towns: 27 points (12-19 FG, 1-1 3P, 2-3 FT), 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 6 blocks

Towns had his best night as a pro, with the 17 rebounds a new career high and his 27 points just one off his previous best. His three-pointer came in the clutch; after the Mavs took the lead with just over 2 minutes remaining, KAT came back down and nailed the three from the top of the arc to take the lead right back. This tweet basically sums up his night:

Too bad it was all for naught.

Other Notable Timberwolves Lines

Andrew Wiggins: 23 points (9-17 FG, 1-2 3P, 4-5 FT), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block

This is the kind of production the Wolves need from Wiggins consistently. He has proven that he can pour in points, but the rebounds and assists round out a very nice stat line for him on the night.

Ricky Rubio: 2 points (1-9 FG, 0-4 3P), 11 assists, 2 rebounds, 5 turnovers

Shabazz Muhammad: 14 points (6-16 FG, 2-7 3P), 7 rebounds (3 offensive), 1 assist, 1 block

Muhammad’s stat line looks worse than how he actually played, aside from not getting off a game-winning attempt. He brought a ton of energy and took good, open shots. They just didn’t fall for him tonight, which is surprising considering how well he has been playing in the previous few weeks.

Who’s Next?

The Timberwolves get the next two days off to prepare for a home game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. The game starts at 7:00 PM, and it is also Zach LaVine bobblehead night.

Next: Wolves Report: The Halfway Point

The Wolves lost a bummer of a game tonight, but they also continued to fight hard and put themselves in a position to win. Moral victories are getting old, and the trend of blowing late leads is as well, but hopefully the Wolves begin to figure out ways to close these types of games out.