Timberwolves Wrap: Minnesota wins nail-biter in Denver

Coming off of a thrilling win on Monday night against the Portland Trail Blazers the Wolves continued to find their stride, coming away with a win in a nail-biter against the Denver Nuggets.

The last game against the Portland Trail Blazers was nothing short of spectacular, and it was easily one of the most exciting games of the season thus far.

Of course, fans would like to see the Wolves win by a large margin each night, but even the best teams have their off nights. Wednesday night brought another close one against a division rival, this time around the Denver Nuggets.

After a slow start by Minnesota, they were able to get a much-needed boost from a small-ball lineup consisting of the starters (minus Taj Gibson), and Jamal Crawford — largely made possible with early foul trouble for both Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng.

Going into halftime, Denver led by a 52-50 margin. It seemed as if the third quarter was going to be the same thing we saw in the first quarter, but that was not the case, as Minnesota chipped away at the lead, down by only four going into the fourth quarter after falling behind by as many as 14 midway through the frame.

The game remained close throughout the fourth quarter as the Wolves relied on Towns early in the frame to keep pace, and then leaned on a Jimmy Butler-led run in the final minutes to pull away without too much touch-and-go down the stretch.

Tweets of the Night

Key Takeaways

• It was an ugly first quarter for Minnesota as they scored just 17 points, shooting 0-of-5 from beyond the arc and 7-of-20 from the field.
• Andrew Wiggins was the only positive plus/minus starter going into halftime (+5), although he struggled from the field yet again in this one, shooting just 3-of-12 from the floor.
• The third quarter started slow for the Wolves, but they luckily brought it to within four.
• Crawford continues to deliver; he was a big contributor during the Wolves’ comeback once again.

Player of the Game

Karl-Anthony Towns: 25 points (11-16  FG, 2-2 3P, 1-1 FT), 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals

Towns was a major reason that the Wolves were able to come back and win this game. He had a early foul trouble in the first quarter but settled down and was able to stay in the game down the stretch, never picking up another foul after that.

It was Towns who started the comeback in the third quarter and kept it going in the fourth. It was good to see Towns have another big night, as he has been a little inconsistent at times this season. Let’s hope that he never slows down, and continues to dominate the rest of the year.

Notable Box Score Lines

• Jimmy Butler: 23 points (8-15 FG, 1-4 3P, 8-8 FT), 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
• Andrew Wiggins: 7 points (3-12 FG, 0-2 3P, 1-1 FT), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, one block
• Taj Gibson: 12 points (6-9 FG, 0-1 3P), 5 rebounds, one steal, one block
• Jeff Teague: 16 points (5-13 FG, 1-6 3P, 5-5 FT), 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals

Next: Wolves Podcast: Thibodeau's minutes problem

What’s Next?

The Wolves continue their journey on the road against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. To anyone not aware of the past, this would seem like a simple win, especially considering that they will be again without star player Devin Booker. However, the Suns have not been kind to Minnesota, as they are just 1-2 against the struggling Suns so far this season.