Timberwolves Wrap: Second-half loss to the Cavs

The Timberwolves hung close to the Cavaliers in the first half, but fell behind quickly in the second half en route to a loss by the score of 125-97.

This seemed like a typical Timberwolves game: the Wolves held on in the first half, only trailing 63-60 at halftime, and when it came to the second half, the Cavs outscored the Wolves 62-37.

The Wolves aren’t exactly a second half team. It seems like every loss they have this season is like this, and despite recent progress, they still blew the lead in the second half.

The biggest thing to look at in this game is the shooting for both teams: the Wolves took 94 shots and only made 41, while the Cavs took 89 shots and made 48. On the three-point line, the Cavs made eight more threes total than the Wolves.

It’s pretty hard to beat a team that shoots that much better than you — especially from beyond the arc.

Wednesday night seemed to be a good example of when younger players start to lose, it becomes a slippery slope. The Wolves simply couldn’t seem to crawl back into the game once the Cavs built a double-digit lead early in the third quarter.

That being said, they did play the Cavs. So what if the Cavs went 7-8 in the month of January? They are still the Cavaliers. LeBron James is still LeBron James. All things considered, the Wolves can’t be too upset about this loss.

Tweets of the Night

https://twitter.com/Timberwolves/status/826965767577022464

Star of the Game

Karl Anthony-Towns: 26 points (11-19 FG, 2-2 3P, 2-2 FT), 12 rebounds, 4 assists, one steal, 2 blocks

Towns started off the game with what seemed like dunk after dunk after dunk. In the first quarter, he was open in the paint on almost every play.

Even when things were looking bad for the Wolves, he was able to contribute on scoring. Shooting 11-for-19 is no joke, and a perfect 2-of-2 from three-point range is impressive, too.

Notable Timberwolves Lines

• Andrew Wiggins: 23 points (9-17 FG, 2-6 3PT, 3-3 FT), 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers, zero assists
• Ricky Rubio: 14 points (5-11 FG, 1-3 3PT, 3-3 FT), 13 assists, 2 rebounds, one block, 4 turnovers
• Shabazz Muhammad: 16 points (7-16 FG, 2-3 3PT, 0-0 FT), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, one steal

Shabazz Muhammad has been playing superb lately, and his 16 points off the bench were once again important for the Timberwolves, and six rebounds for Bazz isn’t bad, either. If this continues for Bazz, we could see the Wolves playoff hopes much more likely.

While this wasn’t the best game to watch, it wasn’t awful. The Wolves stuck with Cleveland for a while, and in fact were up 10-2 to start the game.

Again, don’t be upset Wolves fans. LeBron will be LeBron.

Who’s Up Next?

The Timberwolves head to Detroit to face off against the Pistons on Friday night. After rumors of a trade that would send Ricky Rubio to Detroit and Reggie Jackson to Minnesota, this game is surely going to be awkward…or maybe not, as the Pistons did their best to distance themselves from this rumor.

Next: Timberwolves Rumors: Potential Ricky Rubio Destinations...

It will be a solid chance for a road win that the Wolves need to get.