Timberwolves Wrap: Wolves win against the struggling Magic

The Minnesota Timberwolves came back to the Target Center to start a four-game home stand. It was a solid win against the Orlando Magic, pushing their home record to 6-2.

The Minnesota Timberwolves played against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, coming away with a victory. Orlando has found themselves on a five-game losing skid after starting the season extremely hot. Minnesota has pushed that losing streak to six now, after Wednesday night’s win.

The first quarter was won by the Orlando Magic — as was most of the first half — until the Wolves went on a run late, which pushed the Wolves in front with a 65-62 lead at halftime. Once the second half began, it was safe to say Minnesota was not looking back.

The Wolves dominated Orlando offensively, building a 26-point lead heading to the fourth quarter. The Magic did make things interesting by going on a huge run to open the fourth quarter, but ultimately, it was a little too late.

The Wolves caused Orlando to turn the ball over 14 times, and outside of the big run in the middle of the final frame, Minnesota’s defense was solid.

It was an impressive win for the Timberwolve. Next up, the Miami Heat this Friday night.

Tweets of the Night

Key Takeaways

• In the first half, we saw the Magic cut to the hoop very well. Often times, the Wolves would lose their player, resulting in easy buckets at the rim for the Magic.
• Throughout the game — and many other games, for that matter — Jeff Teague held the ball way too long. The shot clock would get to the three-to-five second mark and it would cause a bad shot or a shot clock violation.
• Jimmy Butler‘s defense was phenomenal’ he finished with 2 steals.
• Minnesota came away with 18 points off Orlando turnovers.
• A late scoring run at the end of the first half put the Wolves on top by a score of 65-62.
• Andrew Wiggins defense has improved greatly this season. He had a lot of flashes on defense — especially a beautiful block on Terrence Ross.
• Third quarter was absolutely owned by Minnesota, as they bounced out to a 26-point lead. They scored 41 and held Orlando to just 18 points.
• Wolves did look sloppy in the fourth quarter, they made their first field goal attempt with 5:05 left.
• Four Wolves starters score 20-plus points. Somewhat surprisingly, Towns was the only one that didn’t reach that mark.

Player of the Game

Jimmy Butler: 26 points (10-19 FG, 3-4 3P, 3-5 FT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, one turnover

Butler was able to get Minnesota a bucket late in the fourth quarter, ending Minnesota’s drought without a field goal. To that point, Minnesota was 0-of-14 from the field, until 5:05. He shot the ball great from three, making three of four attempts.

Butler was able to come away with two steals; providing Minnesota with good defense was important for this team, as they didn’t see things click for them until late in the second quarter.

Notable Box Score Lines

• Andrew Wiggins: 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 6-15 FG, 1-4 3P, 1 steal, 1 block
• Karl-Anthony Towns: 18 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 7-11 FG, 2-3 3P
• Teague: 22 points, 3 rebounds, 11 assists, 6-11 FG, 1-2 3P, 2 steals, 1 block
• Taj Gibson: 24 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 8-11 FG, 2 steals, 1 block

What’s Next?

Minnesota will continue their four-game homestand this Friday, Nov. 24, against the Miami Heat. The Wolves are 6-2 at home and will look to get another win at the Target Center.

Next: Nemanja Bjelica deserves more playing time for the Wolves

The Heat are coming off a big victory over the Boston Celtics, ending their 16-game winning streak. Minnesota won the first game against the Miami Heat back in October. Stay tuned for more Timberwolves news here at Dunking With Wolves.