Timberwolves Wrap: A buzzer-beating road win

Karl-Anthony Towns dropped a game-winning jump-hook in the final seconds to give the Timberwolves a win over the Trail Blazers and notch their third consecutive victory.

The Wolves fell behind by double-digits in the first quarter once again before dominating the second frame and managing to build a modest, four-point halftime advantage.

The starters struggled to score early, and once again it was the bench unit, led by the resurgent Nemanja Bjelica, that kept the Wolves in the game and ultimately contributed to overtaking the Blazers on the scoreboard. Tyus Jones was solid once again, and Bjelica and Shabazz Muhammad were also key contributors.

The third quarter was tightly-contested, with the Blazers out-scoring the visiting Timberwolves by a single point. Once again, the Wolves bench played well when they got on the floor, and kept Minnesota ahead by three points headed to the final frame.

The Blazers struck quickly in the fourth quarter and overtook the Wolves, but were never able to hold a lead of more than three points. Sam Mitchell‘s blended unit of Tyus Jones, Shabazz Muhammad, Tayshaun Prince, Nemanja Bjelica, and Karl-Anthony Towns was able to retake the lead prior to the eight-minute mark, and that lead wouldn’t be relinquished until the final seconds.

The Timberwolves led by eight points with 2:09 remaining on the clock after Zach LaVine hit one out of two at the free throw line. But that lead disappeared, and quickly.

Mitchell’s decision to rest Bjelica’s hot hand in the closing seconds and stick with LaVine was questionable, and it manifested itself when Mason Plumlee hit a jump-hook in the lane, Prince turned the ball over, and LaVine committed a foul on C.J. McCollum, who knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the lead to just four points.

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Then, a rushed, contested jumper from LaVine early in the shot clock, leading to a Damian Lillard make just seconds later, trimming the Wolves’ advantage to just two with 1:01 left.

After a timeout, Andrew Wiggins was fouled before knocking down just one of two free throws. Nursing a three-point lead, the Timberwolves forced a five-second inbound call, giving them the ball back. Immediately following that, however, Wiggins was whistled for a makeup call  charge after Lillard threw himself backwards onto the floor, and the Blazers had possession.

Lillard made a layup to cut the lead to a single point with 13.3 seconds left. LaVine was fouled and drained both free throws, giving the Blazers the ball with 7.6 seconds remaining and trailing by three points.

The Wolves chose to foul instead of taking their chances with a game-tying three-pointer, but the worst happened. Ricky Rubio grabbed Lillard just before he hoisted his jumper, the foul was called on the shot, and Lillard completed the improbably four-point play to give Portland a one-point lead with just 3.5 seconds remaining.

A chess-match ensued between Mitchell and Terry Stotts, with the Blazers taking all of their big men off the floor. Stotts was no doubt anticipating a Wiggins isolation or catch-and-shoot jumper directly off the inbounds pass, and for good reason.

But Mitchell had called for Prince to look towards the post on the pass, depending on how Portland was defending the play. They stacked up near the arc, leaving Towns one-on-one in the low post with the 6′-9″ Al-Farouq Aminu.

Prince made a masterful pass, with Towns catching and lofting a left-shoulder-turn, baseline jump-hook through contact from Aminu all in one motion, and it splashed through with 1.8 seconds remaining. The Blazers were out of timeouts, and Lillard’s three-quarter court heave missed at the buzzer.

Quite simply, Sam Mitchell out-coached Terry Stotts down the stretch in this one, which was a pleasant and completely unexpected surprise. The rotations were solid, the defense-offense subs were acceptable, and the game-ending play-call was exquisite.

Stotts bungled the handling of timeouts and did not set his defenders up for success on the final play of the game.

The Wolves played very well, save for the opening few minutes of the game. With the floundering Houston Rockets and New Orleans Pelicans remaining on the schedule, the Timberwolves have a shot at a five-game winning streak close out the season.

Tweet of the Night

Star of the Night

Karl-Anthony Towns -“ 27 points (13-20 FG, 1-2 FT), 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, one turnover

Towns was spectacular. He was scoreless in the opening frame but dominant from that point forward. Per usual, he scored in the post, off the catch from mid-range, on the offensive glass, and in transition. And don’t forget the game-winner, either.

Notable Timberwolves Lines

Andrew Wiggins – 23 points (9-22 FG, 0-3 3P, 5-6 FT), 3 rebounds, one assist, one turnover

Nemana Bjelica – 11 points (4-6 FG, 2-3 3P, 1-2 FT), 10 rebounds, 5 assists, one steal, one block, one turnover

Shabazz Muhammad – 12 points (5-13 FG, 1-2 3P, 1-2 FT), 3 rebounds, one assist, one turnover

Ricky Rubio – 5 points (2-7 FG, 1-1 3P), 11 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 4 turnovers

If Towns hadn’t hit the game-winner, Bjelica probably would have been the player of the game. He was great on both ends of the floor, making a number of impressive defensive plays and always looking to make the extra pass on offense. Along with the overtime win over the Bulls in early November, this was his best game of the season.

Who’s Next?

The Wolves head back Minneapolis to take on the Houston Rockets at Target Center on Monday night, and close out the season in a battle for the fifth or sixth-worst t record in the NBA with a Wednesday showdown against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Next: On Bill Simmons' Wolves-Thunder Comparison

It’s a three-game (road) winning streak now, but it could easily balloon to four or even five games with the way this team is playing. Their confidence is at an all-time high, and at this point, wins mean more than draft position to the organization and it’s fans.