Timberwolves Wrap: Late-game heroics beat Pacers

The Timberwolves led by nine points before falling behind by nine in the fourth and ultimately winning, thanks to Karl-Anthony Towns and Ricky Rubio.

The Timberwolves brought their fans along on yet another roller coaster ride on Tuesday night, parlaying a nine-point first half lead into a nine-point fourth quarter deficit into a victorious final series of possessions.

Down four points with just over 44 seconds to play, Tom Thibodeau called a timeout and ran a play designed to get Karl-Anthony Towns the ball in isolation on the right side of the floor. Thaddeus Young ended up in a one-on-one situation against KAT and, predictably, could not contain the reigning Rookie of the Year.

Towns pump-faked and leaned in to draw a touch foul on the stationary Young, and KAT promptly drained two free throws to draw the Wolves within a single possession.

On the other end of the floor, Ricky Rubio and Andrew Wiggins double-teamed Paul George and knocked the ball out of bounds with just six seconds remaining on the shot clock. After a timeout, the Wolves forced Jeff Teague to miss a tough shot in the lane and after securing the rebound, Minnesota called yet another timeout.

The Wolves ran a pick-and-roll with both Wiggins and Towns as options up high but Indiana defended it well. Rubio ended up with the ball once again above the arc on the right wing, and quickly found himself crowded by Gorgui Dieng, who was trying to set a screen, and two Pacers.

As Rubio made a move with just under four seconds to play, Teague reached around Dieng and grabbed his right arm. The Wolves point guard felt the contact and rose to attempt a shot, drawing a call on what was an obvious foul call.

Rubio calmly knocked down three free throws and the Wolves took a one-point lead. After a Pacers timeout, the Wolves forced the ball out of George’s hands and Monta Ellis bricked a three-pointer as time expired.

Most of the game saw the Wolves’ offense hit on all cylinders, but the defense struggled mightily once again. Rubio and Towns were great throughout, and on another rough shooting night for Wiggins, Dieng stepped up nicely offensively.

Star of the Night

Ricky Rubio: 21 points (4-12 FG, 0-1 3P, 13-13 FT), 10 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 turnovers

Towns played the better overall game on this night, contributing in more categories, hitting at a high rate from beyond the three-point arc, and only turning the ball over once compared to Rubio’s five turnovers.

But Rubio drew the most important foul of the night and knocked down three clutch free throws, and played solid defense on the perimeter all night. This was truly a dual effort from Rubio and Towns that landed the Wolves this win.

Notable Timberwolves Lines

• Karl-Anthony Towns: 37 points (12-22 FG, 3-6 3P, 10-10 FT), 12 rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block, one turnover
• Gorgui Dieng: 19 points (8-13 FG, 2-3 3P, 1-2 FT), 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, one assist, one steal, 2 turnovers
• Andrew Wiggins: 17 points (6-17 FG, 2-4 3P, 3-4 FT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, one block, 4 turnovers
• Kris Dunn: 9 points (3-3 FG, 3-4 FT), 4 steals, 3 blocks, 2 rebounds, one assist, one turnovers

Towns was great, as mentioned. He had a weird shooting line, with an efficient night from beyond the arc and at the charity stripe but a fairly pedestrian night from the field overall.

Dieng was also fantastic, knocking down a pair of corner three-pointers and providing solid defense. Wiggins was once again inefficient, and Dunn had his third straight fantastic game.

Next: Does Zach LaVine Have A Future In Minnesota?

Who’s Up Next?

The Timberwolves (finally) head home as they’ll take on the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time in six days on Thursday night at Target Center.