The Timberwolves had a chance to win three games in a row against a beatable Kings team, but lost in disappointing fashion despite 40 points from Zach LaVine.
Once again, the Timberwolves have taken the proverbial step forward, followed by two rapid steps in the opposite direction.
Indeed, Friday night’s loss to the Kings counted for two steps, as the chance to win three straight and four out of the last five games slipped through the Wolves fingers in maddening fashion.
The Kings came into Friday’s game with a 12-17 record, and despite playing much better of late, should not have been able to waltz into Target Center to face a hot Wolves team and dominate in the fourth quarter.
While the Wolves were okay early and led by four points at halftime before expanding the lead to seven at the start of the fourth quarter, things fell apart in rapid fashion.
Zach LaVine was essentially the only offense for the Timberwolves throughout the game, but it was especially true down the stretch. He scored seven of the Wolves’ first nine points in the final frame while the rest of the team sputtered.
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The biggest culprit in this one, if we’re to narrow our ire to a single player, was Andrew Wiggins. Only scoring an inefficient 15 points (6-19 FG, 0-6 3P, 3-4 FT) is one thing, but putting up zero rebounds, zero steals, one steal, and a single assist is far, far worse. While it’s an issue that’s plagued the 2015 Rookie of the Year since he’s entered the league, it seemed to be getting better of late. Friday night, however, was a clear regression for Wiggins.
As the game slipped away late, the Wolves found themselves down by a 106-101 score with three minutes remaining. A pair of free throws each by LaVine and Karl-Anthony Towns sandwiched around a stop on the other end of the floor trimmed the deficit to just one point, but free throws by Garrett Temple brought it back to three.
After a timeout, Towns missed a pair of potential game-tying three-pointers. After an offensive rebound by Ricky Rubio, Towns had a wide-open look from the left corner clang off the rim, and the game was all but over.
Tweet of the Night
LaVine has gone further toward his ceiling this season than either Wiggins or Towns.
— brittrobson (@brittrobson) December 24, 2016
Star of the Game
Zach LaVine: 40 points (13-21 FG, 7-12 3P, 7-7 FT), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, one steal, 2 turnovers
LaVine played well enough to earn the nomination here, despite DeMarcus Cousins‘ insane night. The Kings star had 32 points on 13-of-24 shooting, including seven rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and two block. Put simply, the Wolves could not guard him.
LaVine was the Wolves offense. He hit from everywhere on the floor, got to the free throw line, and was active on the glass as well as defensively.
Notable Timberwolves Lines
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 20 points (7-15 FG, 1-5 3P, 5-6 FT), 13 rebounds, 5 assists, one turnover
- Ricky Rubio: 13 points (4-10 FG, 3-6 3P, 2-2 FT), 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 turnovers
- Andrew Wiggins: 15 points (6-19 FG, 0-6 3P, 3-4 FT), one assist, 0 rebounds, one steal, 2 turnovers
The bench was, once again, non-existent. Kris Dunn shot just 1-for-4 from the field with two turnovers to just one assist in 14 minutes. Nemanja Bjelica was quiet, and Shabazz Muhammad led the bench with 17 minutes played, scoring six points on just one shot attempt from the field.
Next: Tyus Jones Should Be Part Of Timberwolves Future
Who’s Up Next?
A first for the Timberwolves will occur on Sunday: a Christmas Day contest. The Wolves will take on the Thunder in Oklahoma City in primetime — 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.