Timberwolves Wrap: Surprising win in Charlotte

The Timberwolves followed another tough loss on Friday night with a surprising victory in Charlotte less than 24 hours later.

In a strange turn of events, the Timberwolves came back from yet another double-digit fourth quarter deficit, but this time held on to force overtime and win rather easily in the extra session.

The Wolves trailed nearly wire-to-wire, but for the second night in a row, the bench not only kept them in the game late, but actually propelled them into the lead.

After seeing Kris Dunn and Shabazz Muhammad get the Timberwolves back in the game in the fourth quarter, the starters reentered with just under six minutes remaining and Minnesota trailing by six points.

The Hornets immediately stretched the lead to nine on a Frank Kaminsky three-pointer, and still trailed by seven points with 40 seconds remaining before Zach LaVine hit a three of his own. After Charlotte inbounded the ball, Kemba Walker stepped out of bounds while trying to get around Ricky Rubio, and the Wolves had possession again, down by four points.

On the ensuing possession, the Timberwolves made two to three ‘extra’ passes, and Gorgui Dieng found Rubio in the right corner for a three to bring Minnesota within one point.

After a timeout, Walker split the Wolves’ pick-and-roll defense and made a floater in the lane to put Charlotte back up by three points. Minnesota was out of timeouts, but got the ball to Andrew Wiggins immediately, who, somewhat surprisingly, rose up and drained a three-pointer over Nicolas Batum to tie the game. Walker missed a jumper at the other end, and the game went to overtime.

The visiting Timberwolves jumped out on a 7-0 run to begin the extra session and never looked back. Rubio was instrumental on both ends of the floor, and Karl-Anthony Towns completed a couple of big plays on the glass as well.

This was an impressive win against a good Charlotte team, with the Wolves on a back-to-back and the Hornets having not played since Thursday. We’ll see if this gets Minnesota’s season somewhat back on track moving forward.

Tweet of the Night

Stars of the Night

Karl-Anthony Towns: 27 points (10-22 FG, 0-2 3P, 7-7 FT), 15 rebounds, 2 blocks, one assist, one steal

Andrew Wiggins: 29 points (11-20 FG, 2-7 3P, 5-5 FT), 4 assists, 3 steals, one rebounds

Towns was solid throughout, but especially asserted himself on the glass and in the paint late in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Wiggins had the biggest shot of the game, of course, and while the single rebound in 37 minutes is an unfortunately recurring theme, the four assists and three steals were significant contributions to the victory.

Notable Timberwolves Lines

• Zach LaVine: 17 points (7-19 FG, 3-8 3P, 0-0 FT), 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, one block
• Ricky Rubio: 9 points (2-7 FG, 1-2 3P, 4-5 FT), 12 assists, 7 rebounds, one steal, one block
• Nemanja Bjelica: 12 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3P), 3 assists, 2 rebounds, one block, 19 minutes
• Shabazz Muhammad: 12 points (5-11 FG, 0-2 3P, 2-3 FT), 6 rebounds, one assist, 25 minutes
• Kris Dunn: 8 points (3-5 FG, 1-1 3P), 6 assists, 2 rebounds, one steal, one block, one turnover, 16 minutes

LaVine was inefficient but solid down the stretch. Rubio struggled mightily early but was great in the fourth quarter and overtime, and his lone steal came at a key moment. Bjelica was good once again, and Muhammad played his second straight impressive game.

Kris Dunn followed what was previously his best game of his rookie season with an even better performance. He knocked down a game-tying three-pointer and looked for his shot on offense, and made a number of nifty passes. It’s been an encouraging week for Dunn, and the Wolves are no doubt expecting the improvement to continue.

Next: Timberwolves Notes: On The Season-Opening Misery

Who’s Up Next?

The Wolves will have the next two days off before hosting the 16-4 San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday evening at 7:00 Central Time. The game will be televised nationally on NBA TV.