Timberwolves Wrap: Wolves overpowered by Spurs

The Timberwolves were overpowered and outmatched as they were blown out at home to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

Many believed that the more experienced Spurs would come in and blow out the younger Wolves. Minnesota, had other ideas early, however, as they hung with San Antonio for much of the first quarter. San Antonio was able to get a few second chance opportunities, and knock down open shots near the end of the quarter. Heading into the second, the Spurs were leading 28-16.

The second quarter continued to showcase the Spurs’ hot shooting. It’s not that the Wolves played poor defense, necessarily, the Spurs are just kind of that good. It didn’t help that San Antonio controlled the rebounding battle throughout the quarter, either. San Antonio went on to shoot 51 percent from the field in the half, and they led by a score of 52-38 at the break.

After halftime, the Wolves came out on a bit of a run, cutting the Spurs lead down to eight. From that point forward, however, the Spurs matched the Wolves. The home team was unable to get easy shots with the Spurs defense contesting and blocking a ton of attempts, and heading into the final 12 minutes, the Wolves trailed 77-61.

Throughout the fourth quarter the Wolves were simply unable to keep pace with the Spurs. San Antonio was superior in pretty much every facet on the evening, and the final score ended up being in San Antonio’s favor 108-83.

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Now, the score could hint at a horrible game from the Wolves. In reality, I think it was less of the Wolves playing bad, but more of the Spurs just being that good. In every area of the game the Spurs were better.

Also, it’s hard to beat a team when they shoot 54 percent against you. The Spurs were able to contain Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, and that neutralized any chance for the Wolves to win.

It seemed like the Wolves knew they would lose this game too. After the opening six minutes or so, the Wolves just seemed to lose interest. San Antonio’s defense was too stifling, and it clearly frustrated the Wolves.

Hopefully the next time these two meet (next week) the Wolves will come out with a better effort.

Clip of the Night

Star of the Night

Kawhi Leonard– 19 points (8-16 FG, 3-7 3P), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, one turnover

Leonard utterly dominated the game. Not only was he tremendously effective on the offensive end, he was lock-down on the defensive end. That, of course, is the hallmark of his game: he has the ability to lock down each team’s best player. He did that tonight, limiting Andrew Wiggins to 10 points and a rough shooting night.

Other Notable Lines

• Andrew Wiggins – 10 points (2-11 FG, 0-1 3P, 6-9 FT), 4 assists, zero rebounds, 2 turnovers
• Karl-Anthony Towns – 10 points (4-12 FG, 0-2 3P, 2-2 FT), 11 rebounds, 1 assists, 2 turnovers
• Zach LaVine – 17 points (7-12 FG, 1-1 3P, 2-4 FT), 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 turnovers
• Tony Parker – 14 points (6-11 FG), 6 assists, 2 rebounds

Up Next

The Wolves will get to stay home for the holidays, as their next game is not until Saturday against the Indiana Pacers. Their star forward Paul George has been mentioned in MVP conversations all season, and the Wolves will be in for another tough test.

Next: The 20 Best Individual Performances in Timberwolves History

After that, it’s down to San Antonio to take on these same Spurs. While the Pacers hold a 16-12 record on the season, it’s a reasonably winnable game that would be nice to have as this rough patch in the schedule continues into next week.