Timberwolves Wrap: Overtime win over Magic

The Timberwolves squandered a big lead over the final few minutes of the fourth quarter but tied the game in the closing seconds and largely dominated the overtime period en route to the win.

The Timberwolves played a strong game against an opponent similar to themselves, and it came all the way down to the wire — and then some.

The first half was closely contested and the Wolves held a lead of the slimmest of margins at halftime, but the Magic took an immediate lead in the third quarter and held onto it until the end of the frame. The Wolves continually pulled to within a point or two but would kick away possessions on both ends of the court and Orlando would expand the lead back to six or more points.

In the waning seconds of the third, however, Orlando moved to quickly on what should have been the final possession and allowed the Wolves to get the last shot of the frame. Shabazz Muhammad sprint dribbled right to the timeline and knocked down a half court shot at the buzzer, giving the Wolves an 80-79 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter saw the Timberwolves bench play a few strong minutes before a few sloppy ones in succession brought the starters back into the game. Minnesota then built a nine point lead with about three minutes remaining, but shoddy defense and a hideous turnover from Andrew Wiggins (Point Wiggins, that is) allowed the Magic to go on a quick 7-0 run.

Eventually, the visitors took a two-point lead on a three-point play from Nikola Vucevic. After a timeout, Andrew Wiggins knocked down a tough, 20-foot jumper on the left wing to tie the game with 10 seconds remaining.

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On the other end of the floor, the Magic were able to get Karl-Anthony Towns switched onto Elfrid Payton on the perimeter, but the 28.7 percent three-point shooter opted to hoist an off-balance, step-back three at the buzzer. Towns partially blocked the shot and it clanked off the bottom of the backboard.

The opening play of overtime featured the Magic stealing the tap, but Nemanja Bjelica made an impressive chase-down block. Then, he made an outstanding, no-look wraparound pass in the lane that lead to a Towns dunk.

The Wolves led by as many as six points in overtime before the Magic cut it to three with 1:07 on the clock and eventually just two points with 25 seconds left as Ricky Rubio fouled out of the game. But Zach LaVine knocked down two free throws, stretching the lead to four and all but icing the game.

Star of the Game

Star of the Game

Andrew Wiggins: 27 points (10-21 FG, 1-3 3P, 6-8 FT), 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, one block

Wiggins was quiet early but fantastic down the stretch. The horrible turnover that allowed the Magic to crawl back in over the past couple of minutes notwithstanding, he hit a clutch jumper to send the game to overtime, and followed that with a series of impressive scoring plays in the extra session.

The five assists were a nice addition, and don’t forget the above dunk. Go ahead, watch it again…

Notable Timberwolves Lines

• Ricky Rubio: 22 points (7-16 FG, 6-9 3P, 2-4 FT), 8 assist, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, one turnover
• Karl-Anthony Towns: 23 points (8-18 FG, 1-2 3P, 6-7 FT), 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks, 5 turnovers
• Nemanja Bjelica: 7 points (3-4 FG, 1-2 FT), 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, one assist
• Gorgui Dieng: 5 points (2-7 FG, 1-2 3P), 14 rebounds, 3 assists, one turnover

It tells you just how special Wiggins was on this night when Rubio and Towns each threatened to notch triple-doubles and Andrew was still our Star of the Game.

Rubio knocked down six threes in a row after missing his first, and while he only made one of seven shot attempts inside the arc and fouled out in overtime, he only committed one turnover in 36 minutes and finished with a 22-8-8 — and two blocks to boot.

Towns was great, albeit not nearly as efficient as he has been of late. But he got his double-double and added seven assists and a trio of blocks despite a high turnover number.

Zach LaVine only scored 11 points in a quiet outing, and Muhammad managed just 10 points off the bench.

Next: Timberwolves Rumors: Potential Ricky Rubio Destinations?

Who’s Up Next?

The Wolves head to Cleveland to take on the defending champion Cavaliers at 6:00 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday night. The game is televised on ESPN, and the Cavs will be without the injured Kevin Love and will be coming off a tough loss in Dallas on Monday night.