Timberwolves Wrap: Wolves outlast Spurs at Target Center

The Timberwolves followed up their blowout win in Utah on Monday night with an impressive victory over the Spurs on Wednesday.

The San Antonio Spurs may still be missing Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker from their lineup, and it may have been the second night of a back-to-back for Gregg Popovich’s squad, but it’s still the Spurs. Remember, the Spurs had won the last 12 matchups between the two teams, including an eight-point win on opening night nearly one month ago.

On this night, the Spurs used an impressive defensive first quarter to take a 24-18 lead heading into the second frame.

The Minnesota bench turned the tide — strangely, how many times have we already said that this season — behind solid play from Nemanja Bjelica and a quick seven points from Shabazz Muhammad. Then, the Jeff Teague–Karl-Anthony Towns pick-and-roll game took over.

Teague fed Towns continuously, both with him rolling the basket and lingering up near the top of the key for open mid-range jumpers. Teague’s decision-making was impeccable during the stretch, and the Wolves quickly opened up a double-digit lead, heading into halftime on a Teague buzzer-beater and a 57-43 advantage.

The third quarter saw the Spurs cut the Wolves lead to just five points, thanks to some shoddy defense, but Minnesota stemmed the tide and quickly bumped their lead back up to a more comfortable place by the end of the quarter.

The final frame wasn’t quick as nerve-wracking as Wolves fans are used to, although the Spurs did hang around until the bitter end. Towns was big down the stretch, and the Wolves newfound aggressiveness on the glass on both ends of the floor paid off big time.

Overall, this was an impressive win, despite all the asterisks (Spurs injuries/back-to-back). The next couple of weeks include a number of games in which the Timberwolves will be favored, and they need to use this modest, two-game win streak as a springboard moving forward.

Tweets of the Night

This play was notable for a few reasons. First, Shabazz Muhammad drove the ball into the paint — and passed! Also, it was a good, smart pass, and Butler finished in traffic, which is something he hasn’t done much of so far this season. Also, it came while the Wolves were doing their best to keep their lead to three possessions while the Spurs were clawing their way back into things.

Key Takeaways

• The Timberwolves defense was overall solid on this night. At times, they caught themselves over-helping and scrambling to cover all 3-point shooters on the perimeter, but that’s a better problem to have than simply missing rotations. Other than a couple of brutal third quarter defensive possessions, this was a solid all-around performance on that end of the floor.
• Towns had his second consecutive dominant game, dominating both LaMarcus Aldridge (15 points on 5-14 FG and three turnovers) and Pau Gasol (13 points on 5-9 FG and three turnovers). KAT buckled down defensively down the stretch, stonewalling Aldridge on back-to-back post touches late in the game.
• This was a very nice all-around performance by the Wolves. It was a weird point distribution (see below), but a win is a win is a win, and it’s good to see them get wins in a variety of ways.
• The Wolves are now 5-1 at home so far this season and have an overall record of 9-5.

Player of the Game

Karl-Anthony Towns: 26 points (10-18 FG, 2-2 3P, 4-6 FT), 16 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 assists, one steal, 2 turnovers

Towns was great from start to finish once again. He was active on defense and on the boards, and should have been rewarded with more than just six free throw attempts. Battling LaMarcus Aldridge is never an easy task, and KAT stepped up in this one.

Notable Box Score Lines

• Jeff Teague: 16 points (7-13 FG, 2-4 3P), 6 assists, 2 steals, one rebound, 2 turnovers
• Nemanja Bjelica: 11 points (5-9 FG, 1-2 3P), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, one block, one steal
• Taj Gibson: 10 points (3-8 FG, 1-2 3P, 3-4 FT), 8 rebounds, one assist
• Andrew Wiggins: 11 points (4-11 FG, 1-2 3P, 3-4 FT), 3 assists, 2 rebounds
• Jimmy Butler: 6 points (2-13 FG, 0-1 3P, 2-2 FT), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, one block, one turnover

Outside of Towns’ big night, the scoring was evenly distributed. Teague was very good, save for a pair of dumb turnovers as San Antonio was trying to com back into the game in the fourth quarter. His orchestration of the pick-and-roll game was masterful.

Bjelica shot a couple of threes shortly after entering the game in his first stint, and despite playing extra minutes due to Gibson’s foul trouble, didn’t attempt another long-ball in the game. He continued to be great on both ends of the court, however.

Once again, Butler struggled with his shot, but contributed mightily on defense and as a facilitator. It’s impressive how much of an impact the former Chicago Bull has had already, despite limited scoring production to this point.

Next: Legit questions surround Tom Thibodeau's coaching

What’s Next?

The Timberwolves have completed yet another one-game “homestand”. They’ll head south, following I-35 to Dallas to take on the 2-13 Mavericks, whom the Timberwolves beat at Target Center prior to their recently-completed road trip.