Dunking With Wolves
Fansided

Once again, Timberwolves lose despite Kris Dunn’s solid play

By Ben Beecken

Mar 30, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Tyus Jones (1) dribbles in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Target Center. The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 99-79. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 30, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Tyus Jones (1) dribbles in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Target Center. The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 99-79. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Timberwolves have started Las Vegas Summer League with a pair of losses, but also with a pair of solid games from first-round draft pick Kris Dunn.

It wasn’t quite as pretty as his first game, but Kris Dunn starred once again for the summer league edition of the Timberwolves, this time in an 82-80 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

The first half was a slog for both teams, with the Wolves not even getting on the board until nearly four minutes into the contest. Dunn himself didn’t play well early after starting at the shooting guard spot, and second-year guard Tyus Jones scored the first six points for Minnesota.

Dunn hit his stride in the second half, however, ultimately finishing with 21 points (9-17 FG, 0-4 3P, 3-5 FT), nine rebounds, four assists, one steal, one block, and four turnovers. He also committed eight personal fouls — remember, players don’t foul out unless they commit 10 fouls in summer league games.

The Wolves led for much of the middle portion of the game before falling behind midway through the final, 10-minute frame. They were down by four with 5.4 seconds left when a Kris Dunn missed a three-pointer and Adreian Payne scored a put-back. With 1.2 remaining, the Wolves lost a Raptors guard and Toronto was able to complete an inbound pass and run out the clock unimpeded.

Here’s your bullet-point recap, ladies and gentlemen:

  • Dunn was less efficient than he was in game one. He struggled to get into the paint early, and ultimately ended up settling for a number of long-twos and contested three-point attempts throughout the game. Jones was running the point guard a large chunk of the time, and Dunn was pretty hit-and-miss while playing off the ball. There were a couple of plays during which Dunn used his superior physicality to get to the rim, even completing an and-one while head-butting Raptors lottery-pick Jakob Poeltl and drawing the foul.

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  • Dunn should be dominating, as a 22 year-old, four-year starter from Providence, playing against other, younger rookies and a number of players who simply haven’t been good enough to play heavy NBA minutes. At times, he looks exactly like he should. At others, it looks like he’s forcing the action. Overall, however, Dunn has been quite impressive through two games.
  • Jones was solid, scoring 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. He also chipped in four points and three assists. The Minnesota native looked every bit the part of the NBA point guard on the floor among D-Leaguers when he had the ball in his hands.
  • Adreian Payne was, once again, Adreian Payne. He did manage 13 points on just nine shots, but had just six rebounds in 29 minutes and committed six fouls. Also, he was consistently out of control.
  • Coty Clarke played much better, scoring four points on 2-of-4 shooting, also notching five rebounds, two assists, and one steal. He was more aggressive on both ends of the floor and was especially impressive on defense. Clarke looks every bit the part of a fringey, back-of-the-rotation role player that should be on an NBA roster.
  • Sharpshooter Xavier Silas scored 12 points in 16 minutes off the bench, shooting just 3-for-10 but 2-of-4 from downtown.

One other note: Karl-Anthony Towns (and his dad) and Andrew Wiggins were sitting courtside for Sunday’s loss. It’s good to see the two biggest cornerstones of the franchise supporting the summer squad — especially considering that Dunn (and possibly Jones) is the only player that has a long-term future in Minnesota.

Next: No Frills Wolves Podcast: Draft, Free Agency, and More...

The Wolves turn around and finish pool play right away on Monday night. The game will be broadcast on NBA TV at 7:30 p.m. Central Time, so set your DVRs.