The Timberwolves led by double digits on three separate occasions on Monday night but had to cross their fingers at the buzzer in a 124-122 victory over the Boston Celtics.
The Wolves dominated early. They dominated stretches during the middle of the game. And they built their lead back up to 14 points with just 3:58 remaining in the fourth quarter.
But it came down to Marcus Smart missing a semi-open three-pointer in transition at the buzzer to seal the win for Minnesota after Andrew Wiggins, Ricky Rubio, and Zach LaVine combined to make just 2 of 6 free throws in the final 22.8 seconds of the game.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 first half points and was active enough on the glass in the second half to be the MVP of the game for the Timberwolves, but Rubio, LaVine, and Gorgui Dieng were all fantastic as well.
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The Timberwolves depleted bench gave up a 17-0 run in the second quarter with a lineup consisting of Tyus Jones, Kevin Martin, Tayshaun Prince/Shabazz Muhammad, Adreian Payne, and Dieng. It was horrendous, and kudos to Sam Mitchell for understanding that this was not a good idea in the second half; one of Rubio, Towns, and Wiggins was on the floor at all times in both the third and fourth quarter.
The Wolves did a great job building that 14-point lead back up in the early and middle stretches of the fourth quarter after withstanding multiple waves of comebacks from the Celtics, but the free throw shooting and carelessness with the ball nearly came back to bite Mitchell’s squad in the final moments.
Smart’s shot clanged off the rim as time expired, however, and the Wolves narrowly avoided what would have been one of the more incredible collapses in recent memory.
Tweet of the Night
One does not simply stop KAT!
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 23, 2016
26 and 10 with 4:14 left in the 3rd! pic.twitter.com/AEbCzrdY4h
Star of the Night
Karl-Anthony Towns – 28 points (13-22 FG, 1-2 3P, 1-2 FT), 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers
Towns was unbelievable, scoring 15 first quarter points and tallying 20 by halftime. He scored in a variety of ways, including post moves, a three-pointer, jumpers off the dribble, and catch-and-shoot on the move.
He cooled down a bit after the Celtics started bringing waves of double teams in the second half, but he was solid on both ends of the floor all night long.
Notable Timberwolves Lines
Ricky Rubio – 15 points (3-7 FG, 0-1 3P, 9-11 FT), 8 assists, 8 rebounds, one steal, 4 turnovers
Gorgui Dieng – 17 points (7-10 FG, 1-1 3P, 2-2 FT), 12 rebounds, 2 assists, one block, one steal, zero turnovers
Andrew Wiggins – 17 points (5-11 FG, 0-1 3P, 7-12 FT), 4 assists, one rebound, one steal, one block, 4 turnovers
Zach LaVine – 16 points (4-7 FG, 4-5 3P, 4-5 FT), 5 rebounds,3 assists, 3 turnovers
Who’s Got Next?
The Timberwolves are headed to Toronto to take on the Raptors on Wednesday night. The Wolves defeated Dwayne Casey’s crew in the final game before the All-Star break two weeks prior.
Next: Should the Timberwolves Trade Andrew Wiggins?
Minnesota has now won four of their past seven games, losing to three teams they probably should have beaten (Lakers, Pelicans, Knicks) and beating four playoff teams (Clippers, Bulls, Raptors, Celtics). It’s tough to know what to make of that, but it’s clear that Mitchell’s bunch is making progress.