Timberwolves Wrap: Wolves beat Nuggets in OT, make playoffs

The Timberwolves are in the playoffs for the first time in 14 years after defeating the Denver Nuggets on the final day of the regular season and clinching a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

It may have taken an extra five minutes, but the Timberwolves finally did break their league-worst streak of 13 seasons without a playoff appearance.

In what was an outstanding, physical game, the Wolves led early and built an eight-point advantage by halftime behind 16 points from Karl-Anthony Towns. But Nikola Jokic dropped 17 points in the fourth quarter alone after Towns became slightly more passive defensively after being saddled with his third personal foul late in the third quarter.

The Nuggets tied the game multiple times in the closing moments of the frame but were not able to overtake the Wolves. After the bench had such a solid stint in the first half, Tom Thibodeau’s leash was understandably shorter in the second half and the bench didn’t inspire much confidence.

The Wolves survived Jokic’s outburst, and the Nuggets star ended up in foul trouble of his own by early in the fourth quarter.

Taj Gibson enjoyed an extended break on the bench due to picking up a fourth foul early in the third quarter, but played outstanding defense when he returned in the fourth. He was tasked with slowing down a piping-hot Jokic and did just that. Jokic was held scoreless after the 4:13 mark of the final frame, meaning that combined with overtime the Wolves kept the opposing team’s best player from scoring over the last nine-plus minutes of the game.

The Wolves’ offense slowed down and became a largely inefficient isolation machine down the stretch, seemingly alternating Jimmy Butler isos and Jeff Teague-Taj Gibson pick-and-roll action. Denver was loading up on Butler and Towns, and the Wolves simply allowed their opponents to dictate the offensive sets that were run.

Neither team scored in the final 1:59 of regulation as both teams were exhausted and the offensive execution suffered mightily. The sequence included Taj Gibson stripping Nikola Jokic of the ball with under five seconds left in regulation and securing a possession for the Wolves. They didn’t get a clean shot up, however, and Jamal Crawford heaved an attempt from near half court. Overtime was a see-saw battle until the Wolves sandwiched a pair of shots around a scoring trip of their own.

Ahead by two points with 14.6 seconds left in overtime, Andrew Wiggins, who had a quiet yet effective 18 points, calmly knocked down a pair of free throws to give Minnesota an insurmountable four-point lead.

Tweet of the Night

Key Takeaways

• The minutes distribution was worthy of the playoffs for both teams. Only four bench players appeared for a Denver team that is much deeper than the Wolves, and only Gary Harris (21 minutes) played more than 12 minutes off the bench for the Nuggets.
• The Wolves used five bench players with Jamal Crawford’s 18 minutes leading the way. Gorgui Dieng played extremely well but was only on the floor for a season-low six minutes.
• As mentioned, Towns was awesome early the game, draining eight of his first 10 shot attempts from the floor. For the second straight game, he did not attempt a single 3-pointer after shooting at least four per contest over the previous seven games.
• Towns again worked almost exclusively in the post and off of offensive rebounds, Somehow, he only attempted two free throw shots on the night.
• Butler clearly doesn’t have the lift he wants on his jumper, and his tired legs have led to the All-Star shooting just 23-for-32 (71.8 percent) from the free throw line over the three games since his return.

Player of the Game

Karl-Anthony Towns: 26 points (12-19 FG, 2-2 FT), 14 rebounds, 2 assists, one steal

Towns was great early in the game and solid when he had the chance in the second half. He also came down with what effectively was the game-sealing rebound that led to Wiggins’ made free throws with less than 15 seconds left in the game.

Notable Timberwolves Box Score Lines

• Jimmy Butler: 31 points (10-21 FG, 1-4 3P, 10-13 FT), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, one turnover, one block
• Andrew Wiggins: 18 points (5-9 FG, 1-2-5 FG, 5-8 3P), 5 rebounds, 3 assists
• Jeff Teague: 17 points (6-13 FG, 3-5 3P, 2-2 FT), 7 assists, one steal

Next: Back to the Future: The 2003-04 season

What’s Next?

The Timberwolves will open the first round of the playoffs (yes, really) this weekend. The date and time have yet to be announced, but we’ll have that coverage here with Dunking With Wolves as soon as it’s out there.