Timberwolves Wrap: Big win over the Nuggets

The Timberwolves needed a win as they headed to Denver on the heels of a loss just 24 hours later, and they left the Mile High City with just the victory that they were looking for.

The Wolves have been treading water for the last couple of weeks after their hot January came to a close, and found themselves four-and-a-half games out of the playoff race. Thankfully, the chance to face the Denver Nuggets, the team currently in the eighth and final spot, comes along with the chance to gain a full game in the standings in one fell swoop.

But playing at altitude on the back-end of a back-to-back against a team that recently beat the Golden State Warriors soundly didn’t promise to be easy. And, as the final game before heading into the All-Star Break, well, it’s not always easy to get everyone to play with urgency.

On this night, however, the Timberwolves led nearly wire-to-wire. Andrew Wiggins was nearly unstoppable once again, and Karl-Anthony Towns significantly outplayed his second-year counterpart, Nikola Jokic.

The Nuggets only had seven players notch more than 23 minutes, with six players playing more than 33 minutes apiece. The Timberwolves were short-handed due to Lance Stephenson‘s sprained ankle; Tyus Jones played 11 minutes in his place.

The game remained close for much of the second half until the Wolves, once again behind Towns and Wiggins, surged ahead by multiple possessions in the closing minutes. Despite kicking away a handful of possessions, especially in the second and third quarters, the Wolves were able to avoid a complete collapse and eventually notched the win.

Star of the Night

Andrew Wiggins: 40 points (15-26 FG, 2-4 3P, 8-11 FT), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, one turnover

Wiggins was fantastic, scoring 40+ points for the second consecutive night. He was efficient from the field and managed to balance aggressiveness in the lane with his typical barrage of long jumpers.

The ancillary columns were still fairly empty, but, also true to form, Wiggins only turned the ball over one time on the night.

Notable Timberwolves Lines

• Karl-Anthony Towns: 24 points (8-19 FG, 1-2 3P, 7-8 FT), 19 rebounds, 2 assists, one steal, zero turnovers
• Shabazz Muhammad: 15 points (5-7 FG, 0-1 3P, 5-5 FT), 3 rebounds, 2 assists
• Nemanja Bjelica: 7 points (3-5 FG, 1-1 3P), 5 rebounds, one assist, one block
• Ricky Rubio: 6 points (1-5 FG, 0-4 3P, 4-4 FT), 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 4 turnovers

In addition to Wiggins’ 40, Towns and Muhammad were the only other players to score in double figures on this night. Muhammad was great off the bench once again and Bjelica was solid, while Ricky Rubio had an off-night.

Who’s Up Next?

The Timberwolves won’t play again until Feburary 24th, hosting the Dallas Mavericks at home next Friday. The Rising Stars game takes place on Friday night and is the only All-Star Weekend event during which the Wolves will have a presence as Karl-Anthony Towns will suit-up for the game for the second straight year.