Timberwolves Wrap: Spurs pull away late

The Timberwolves played well for much of the game on Tuesday night in San Antonio before ultimately falling to the Spurs by a final score of 122-114.

On Sunday, the Timberwolves simply didn’t come to play when they were beat by the lowly Dallas Mavericks.

On Tuesday in San Antonio, the Wolves did come to play, save for one turnover-ridden stretch in the third quarter and a stretch of mostly back luck late in the fourth quarter.

The first half was great. On offense, the Wolves scored 71 points in the half and shot a ton of free throws, making 20-of-21 attempts in the second quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns and Ricky Rubio carried the squad, and Minnesota sent into halftime with a four-point lead after a 41-point second quarter.

Unfortunately, the defense was spotty and the Spurs managed to score 67 points of their own. Kawhi Leonard was brilliant, and San Antonio’s bench far outplayed the Wolves — at least this side of Shabazz Muhammad, who dropped 15 first half points.

In the third quarter, the Spurs struggled from the field to start and Minnesota had a legitimate opportunity to build a lead. But instead, the Wolves turned the ball over time and time again.

Despite playing all-around solid games, Towns and Rubio were the biggest culprits during the stretch of sloppy play; KAT tallied five turnovers on the night while Rubio had three. And by the time the Wolves had calmed down, the Spurs were back in a groove and managed to grab a two-point lead heading to the final frame.

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The Spurs hadn’t led by more than four points all evening until they began to pull away early in the fourth quarter. Leonard and Tony Parker dictated the tempo while LaMarcus Aldridge knocked down jumpers with ease from the mid-range.

Also of note: the free throw attempts suddenly stopped as the officials began calling the game looser and the Spurs’ number of attempts climbed. The freebees were a huge source of points for Minnesota in the first half and the lack of shooting fouls certainly contributed to their offensive issues in the second half.

The Wolves did manage to get within three possessions midway through the fourth quarter after the Spurs had built a double-digit lead, but suddenly went cold from the field with Rubio, Nemanja Bjelica, and Zach LaVine each missing a three-point attempt on consecutive possessions that would have pulled the Wolves within five.

But alas, the offense ground to a halt and the defense finally succumbed to the Spurs relentless draw-and-kick game, and San Antonio pulled away with relative ease in the final moments.

All things considered, it was a decent performance from the Wolves, and it was great to see bounce-back performances from Towns and Rubio as they both struggled mightily in Sunday’s loss to the Mavericks.

Star of the Night

Kawhi Leonard: 34 points (12-17 FG, 2-3 3P, 8-9 FT), 7 rebounds, 5 assists, one steal

Leonard dominated Andrew Wiggins, and he dominated the game as a whole. Offensively, Leonard poured in mid-range jumpers and drew fouls in the paint. On defense, he nabbed a memorable steal when he simply swiped the ball from Wiggins on the perimeter and took it the other way for a dunk.

On a night when Wiggins somehow attempted just eight shots (Kawhi defense, anyone?), making three and scoring only 10 points, Leonard showed why he’s a legitimate MVP candidate.

Notable Timberwolves Lines

• Karl-Anthony Towns: 27 points (10-18 FG, 2-2 3P, 5-5 FT), 16 rebounds, one block, 5 turnovers
• Ricky Rubio: 21 points (4-9 FG, 0-1 3P, 13-14 FT), 14 assists, 2 steals, 2 rebounds, 3 turnovers
• Gorgui Dieng: 17 points (6-12 FG, 5-6 FT), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks, one steal, one turnover
• Zach LaVine: 18 points (8-14 FG, 2-5 3P), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, one turnover
• Shabazz Muhammad: 15 points (4-6 FG, 2-3 3P, 5-5 FT), 4 rebounds, 2 turnovers

Towns was great throughout, minus the turnovers. Rubio was magnificent, although at least two of his three turnovers were hideous and unnecessary.

Dieng was fantastic once again and continues his strong stretch of play. LaVine was solid but didn’t attempt a number of shots from the field and somehow didn’t join the free throw parade. Muhammad was nearly unstoppable in the first half but nonexistent during his second half stint.

Next: Timberwolves Rumors: Still Shopping Ricky Rubio...

Who’s Up Next?

The Timberwolves will head west to face the Los Angeles Clippers on national television on Thursday night. The game will be on TNT at 9:30 p.m. Central Time. Los Angeles will be without both Blake Griffin and Chris Paul due to injury.