Game Recap: Wolves dominate the Kings with ease

The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, a game in which went into overtime. The Wolves squared off at home against the Sacramento Kings this Thursday night (Dec. 14th) – here is your game recap.

The story-line over the course of the past few weeks has been the lineup usage. The Minnesota Timberwolves lead the league in minutes played by the starters. That should come as no surprise to anyone who knows how Tom Thibodeau operates.

The fatigue has definitely shown over the course of this time, and it has had some negative effects on the outcome of games. Minnesota came off a disappointing loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. By all means, the Wolves’ didn’t look awful in that game, but it’s a game you wish you could have back.

They were leading a majority of the fourth quarter, but you can never count out the Sixers. Once again the minute production was very high *shocker*, with Karl-Anthony Towns leading the way with 48 minutes.

Thankfully tonight, the Wolves were able to come away with a win. This was a game that Minnesota needed to win, as before this game Sacramento was sitting at a 9-18 record. This is a team that has a lot of young talent, but simply does not have a whole lot of direction after dealing away franchise cornerstone DeMarcus Cousins.

This had to be one of Minnesota’s best game, if not the best. Sure, it helps playing a team that isn’t as good, but a win is a win. They looked impressive all game long, scoring at a high rate and playing great defense. Overall, it was a fantastic win.

With Minnesota able to come away with a win, let’s look at the game recap.

Tweets of the Night

Key Takeaway’s

• To many fans surprise, Marcus Georges-Hunt finally received playing time. A lot of people have been allotting for Thibodeau to finally play him (including myself), and today we finally were able to see him in action.
• Towns was the man tonight, providing help on both sides of the floor.
• Minnesota looked good on both sides of the court – looking dialed in all game long.
• Minnesota shot the ball great from the field – shooting it 56.1 percent from the field, and 47.6 percent from three.
• The defensive takeaways were fantastic – coming away with 12 steals, and 9 blocks.
• Win

Player of the Game

Karl-Anthony Towns: 30 points, 11-16 field goals, 2-4 3-pointers, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 5 blocks

Towns looked dialed in on both sides of the floor, playing good defense and offense. Perhaps it was the friendly banter we saw on Instagram with Joel Embiid. For those of you who did not see it, Embiid basically silenced Towns with a comment towards his poor defense.

Tonight Towns was having none of that, he looked good on defense, swatting away five shots. Not only did he show up defensively, but he was big on offense. He put up 30 points, and shot it effectively from the field (68.7 percent). He was a major factor in tonight’s win.

Notable Box Score Lines

• Karl-Anthony Towns: 30 points, 11-16 field goals, 2-4 3-pointers, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 5 blocks
• Andrew Wiggins: 22 points, 9-17 field goals, 3-4 3-pointers, 1 rebound
• Jimmy Butler: 21 points, 7-10 field goals, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
• Jeff Teague: 10 points, 4-9 field goals, 2-7 3-pointers, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals
• Taj Gibson: 12 points, 5-11 field goals, 0-1 3-pointers, 4 rebounds,1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block

More from Dunking with Wolves

• The dream starting 5 for Minnesota Timberwolves 5 years from now
• Anthony Edwards’ latest accolade is a great sign of things to come
• In an OT thriller, Team Canada snatches Bronze from Team USA
• Timberwolves start, bench, cut: Mike Conley, Shake Milton, Jordan McLaughlin
• Which Timberwolves roster additions have upgraded the bench?

What’s Next?

After a dominating win over the Sacramento Kings, the Wolves’ will look to continue their success at home against the Phoenix Suns this Saturday night (12/16). This will be a game in which we will not see the Suns best player, Devin Booker. This will also be the game in which many fans have marked on their calendar because this will be the first game in which we will see the northern light’s statement jersey’s.