Timberwolves Wrap: Once again, Wolves squeak by Thunder

The Timberwolves rode a massive performance from Karl-Anthony Towns and strong play from a still-sick Jimmy Butler in the second down-to-the-wire victory over the Thunder in the past six days.

So … Jimmy Butler is a shoe-in to win the MVP award this season, right?

The Timberwolves are now 3-1 with Butler in the lineup, with the only loss coming back on opening night in San Antonio. He played through an apparently lingering upper respiratory infection on Friday night to rally his teammates to victory after the Wolves suffered a pair of disappointing, blowout losses earlier this week, sans Butler.

Butler was good all night but was especially big down the stretch, making a couple of tough shots to maintain and extend the Timberwolves slim lead over the Thunder. Equally as important, he locked down reigning Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook on back-to-back possessions during the same stretch of crunch time.

We’ve already gone too long without mentioning Karl-Anthony Towns’ massive performance: 33 points and 19 rebounds while battling the mountain of a man that is Steven Adams, who scored 20 points but only pulled down eight rebounds for OKC.

Towns has been much-maligned for his defense of late, and for good reason. He struggled defensively early on this night as well, but stepped up his game in a big way beginning in the third quarter against the Thunder. Whether it was switching onto Carmelo Anthony on the perimeter and holding his own or helping in the paint to the tune of four blocked shots, KAT was huge.

The Wolves trailed by double digits early in this one before tying the game just prior to halftime. They played in the penalty for much of the second quarter and were aggressive in using free throws to trim the margin quickly.

The second half was largely a back-and-forth affair before the Wolves took a two possession lead with about two-and-a-half minutes remaining. After a stretch with far too many turnovers but solid defense, it came down to Butler making shots and the Wolves playing solid defense. Then, Jeff Teague made one of two free throws with just seconds remaining to stretch the lead back to three points.

After Butler appeared to try and foul Westbrook in the backcourt but not have it be called, the Thunder star deferred to Anthony, who missed a 3-pointer contested by Taj Gibson at the buzzer to give the Wolves the victory.

Tweets of the Night

Key Takeaways

• KAT did a great job battling with Adams down low all night — not an easy task. He was particularly great on the offensive glass, and while he didn’t get a ton of post touches, he was able to score 33 points on 24 shots without shooting a ton of jumpers. And, his defense was passable much of the night and even awesome at times.
• Butler clearly has an overall “lifting” effect on this team. They seemed to be more in control, even when Teague was committing a backcourt violation in the closing minutes and the Thunder were pulling to within just two points shortly thereafter. And man, does the Target Center crowd love their new superstar.
• The entire first quarter and all the way through the bench unit’s first half shift was exceedingly sloppy. When the starters returned in the second quarter, Teague and KAT played outstanding basketball to get the Wolves back into the game. Teague has struggled quite a bit over his first six games in Minnesota, but credit where credit is due: he was big tonight when it mattered — save for the backcourt violation that gave the Thunder life in the final 30 seconds, of course.

Player of the Game

Jimmy Butler: 25 points (7-10 FG, 11-13 FT), 7 assists, 5 rebounds, one turnover

This could easily have been a tie between Butler and Towns, but Butler’s calming effect on Minnesota in the final minutes of a game that almost surely would have been kicked away just seven months ago cannot be overstated.

Butler is still playing the role of part-time facilitator for the Wolves, dropping seven dimes in this one and not asserting himself too much on offense until late in the game. Twenty-five points on 10 shots, plus seven assists, five rebounds, and just one turnover? The Timberwolves will take that every single night.

Notable Box Score Lines

• Karl-Anthony Towns: 33 points (12-24 FG, 1-4 3P, 8-9 FT), 19 rebounds, 4 blocks, one turnover
• Jeff Teague: 17 points (5-10 FG, 2-5 3P, 5-8 FT), 10 assists, 4 rebounds, one steal, 6 turnovers
• Taj Gibson: 16 points (8-12 FG, 0-1 3P), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, one block, 2 turnovers
• Andrew Wiggins: 14 points (5-15 FG, 3-7 3P, 1-3 FT), 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, one assist, one turnover

Teague was great in the second quarter and okay in the second half. Gibson was solid throughout, showing great touch in the paint and the ability to catch the ball on the move, pivot, and score without turning the ball over.

Wiggins was just okay, but hit three 3-pointers and filled the role of complementary player in this one. And he did a good job of it, too.

The Wolves bench only scored 14 points in this one — six from Gorgui Dieng, five from Jamal Crawford, and one very deep 3-pointer from Nemanja Bjelica. It was a classic Thibs game when it came to the starter’s minutes, but it was an important game to win. So, no harm, no foul.

Next: Early Season Ponderings: Enjoy the journey

What’s Next?

The Timberwolves will have their first break of two consecutive off-days since the season started back on October 18th. They’ll play in Miami on Monday night with tip-off at 6:30 p.m. Central Time before heading west to New Orleans for a Wednesday evening tilt with the Pelicans.