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Wolves Recap: Losing streak ends behind Mo Williams’ 52-point game

By Ben Beecken

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Oct 21, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Indiana Pacers point guard George Hill (3) and Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Mo Williams (25) talk during a free throw at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Mo Williams was tired of losing, apparently. (Or he read my tweet from last week. Either way, it worked.)

The Wolves’ veteran point guard and default scorer scored a Wolves’ franchise single-game record 52 points in the Wolves’ 110-101, eclipsing Corey Brewer‘s 51-point output against the Houston Rockets last April. He played 44 minutes, including the entire second half, which is crazy for anyone abut especially for a 32-year old backup.

Williams was scorching hot, making 19 of 33 shots and 6 of 11 three-pointers. He also added seven assists and four rebounds while only turning the ball over three times on the night. The Wolves scored 41 points in the fourth quarter after trailing by six entering the frame, holding on down the stretch on the road.

For much of the game, the Wolves offense was horrible. And not only from a turnover perspective. While they did commit 15 of them in the game, they missed a seemingly endless number of shots at the rim. Some were contested and some weren’t, but it was far too often and far too Timberwolvesy. The culprits included Thaddeus Young, Gorgui Dieng, Chase Budinger, and Andrew Wiggins, but the whole offensive display, minus Williams’ outburst, was miserable.

Wiggins was okay if not mediocre. He stumbled into 20 points by the end of the tilt, shooting 7 of 16 from the floor and a perfect 6 of 6 from the charity stripe. He also added four assists and three rebounds.

The Pacers’ offense was equally terrible, turning the ball over 17 times and finding very little rhythm. C.J. Miles of all people jacked up 18 shots, including 10 threes while only making two of them. Indiana ultimately shot 48.8% from the field, but only 27.8% on 18 three-pointers.

Roy Hibbert was ejected in the third quarter for pulling Gorgui Dieng to the ground after the Pacers’ center had already fallen on the floor and Dieng was attempting a shot. It was an exceedingly dangerous play, and Dieng landed flat on the small of his back, laying there for 15 second or so before getting up and finishing out the game. The play was called a common foul on the floor, but after review was changed to a flagrant-two and Hibbert was given the heave-ho.

Dieng had struggled with Hibbert down low, so not having their center on the floor down the stretch certainly harmed their chances of holding off the visiting Wolves. David West and Ian Mahinmi both earned technical fouls in the game as well for complaining about the officiating.

The Wolves certainly didn’t deserve to win, but it would have been rough to have Williams’ 52-point land in the loss column. Minnesota missed far too many easy shots, went soft to the rim with the ball a number of times, and committed a bunch of unforced turnovers. But the Pacers were just bad enough and Mo Williams was just good enough to get the Wolves their first win in over a month.

Next up is a road game in Phoenix on Friday night. It’ll be a tough one, but who knows, maybe they’ll never lose again.

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