Timberwolves Wrap: Wolves beat Warriors in OT

The Timberwolves defeated one of the best teams in NBA history, on the road, in overtime on Tuesday night.

This result was improbable at best, and given the Wolves’ anemic offense over their past three games, it seemed like an even longer shot than it might have been just a week or two ago.

The Warriors came into the game needing to go 4-1 over their last five games to best the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls 72-10 record, and they still have to play San Antonio twice and Memphis twice. This was not the game that Golden State was planning on losing if they had to lose one, making this quest a lot more difficult.

The game started out predictably ugly, with the Warriors jumping out to a 25-10 lead by the 5:00 mark in the opening frame. From that point until halftime, however, the Timberwolves more or less stemmed the tide, with the bench playing vital minutes and, to the surprise of everyone, outplaying the Warriors reserves.

Shabazz Muhammad scored a career-high 35 points on just 12 shots on this night, but was huge in the first half in keeping the Wolves within striking distance. He got to the free throw line at will and crashed the glass with the Bazz-like abandon that Wolves fans have grown to love.

The Wolves trailed by a score of 55-46 at the break, but a late surge made it feel even closer than a nine-point margin.

The second half saw both teams click a bit more offensively, and the Wolves were only down by eight points heading to the final frame as Tyus Jones and the bench had another strong stretch of play.

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The fourth quarter was when it got fun. Zach LaVine hit a few timely three-pointers and Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins came alive down the stretch as the Wolves’ defense toughened, getting the Wolves to within a single possession with just over a minute remaining.

Towns took a pass from Ricky Rubio at the top of the key, pump-faked and drove into the lane, glancing off of a shuffling Stephen Curry right at the top of the charge circle. It was called a blocking foul on the floor, but the new replay rules allowed the officials to review the play. To the surprise of everyone, it was overturned, changing what likely would have been a tie game back into a three-point deficit.

After a Wiggins steal, a Muhammad free throw, and a Draymond Green travel, Wiggins drove into the lane, using his patented spin move to convert a lay-in and tie the game with less than 20 seconds left.

The Timberwolves defense was suddenly fantastic once again on the Warriors’ ensuing possession, and they failed to get a shot off before regulation ended.

The Wolves controlled overtime, as weird as that may seem. The tempo was to their liking, and Towns and Wiggins continued their domination. Minnesota hit enough of their free throws down the stretch to keep Golden State at arm’s reach, and the shocking victory was in the bag.

Tweets of the Night

Star of the Night

Andrew Wiggins -“ 32 points (11-19 FG, 2-3 3P, 8-9 FT), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 steals, 5 turnovers

Shabazz Muhammad and his career-high 35 points (on 9 of 12 shooting!) are what kept the Wolves in the game early, and his 15-for-17 night from the free throw line was huge, but Wiggins was enormous down the stretch in regulation and overtime.

The above spin-move was amazing, and there was another similar play that led to a pair of free throws early in overtime. But equally as impressive was his activity on the boards and on defense, which aren’t always aspects of Wiggins’ game that are on display on a nightly basis.

This was a fantastic showing, and Wiggins certainly lived up to his reputation of playing up to his competition.

Notable Timberwolves Lines

Shabazz Muhammad – 35 points (9-12 FG, 2-4 3P, 15-17 FT), 6 rebounds, one turnover, 38 minutes

Karl-Anthony Towns – 20 points (8-18 FG, 0-1 3P, 4-8 FT), 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers

Zach LaVine – 16 points (6-14 FG, 4-7 3P), 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, one turnover

Ricky Rubio – 2 points (1-6 FG, 0-1 3P), 9 assists, 4 rebounds, one steal, 4 turnover

Who’s Next?

Does it matter? Can we just watch this one again?

If you’d rather watch live basketball, the Wolves will be in Sacramento on Thursday evening to face a Kings squad that they’ve already defeated three times.

Next: On Bill Simmons' Wolves-Thunder Comparison

The Wolves will then head up the coast to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers on Saturday night in yet another tough road contest.