Minnesota Timberwolves: Takeaways from Wolves win over Lakers

The Minnesota Timberwolves halted a two-game slide with a 124-120 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night at Target Center.

Losing to the Lakers on Monday would have been a tough pill to swallow for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

With a tough home game against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday and a five-game road trip lurking, a win against Los Angeles, who came into the game with an identical 2-4 record as the Wolves, was imperative.

Despite an extremely sloppy start and a horrible close to the first half, the Timberwolves played well in the second half and closed in strong fashion, leaning on their two All-Stars to dominate the Lakers both in the paint and, in a surprising twist, from beyond the arc.

After scoring just four points in the Wolves’ embarrassing loss to Milwaukee on Friday night, Butler came to play against L.A., putting up 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting, including 6-of-7 on 3-point attempts. He also chipped in six rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal.

Karl-Anthony Towns had his best all-around game of the young season, playing well against the long and bouncy JaVale McGee and simply taking over when McGee left the floor and was replaced by a much smaller Lakers lineup.

Towns scored seven points in the first quarter, which was his most in an opening frame all season long. He ended up grabbing 16 total rebounds, including nine of the offensive variety. For much of the game, and especially early on, Towns missed a series of put-back shots from around the rim that hurt the Wolves, but late in the game he did much better to convert those or get fouled and end up at the free throw line.

The volleyball-style approach that KAT took helped him get to his 16 rebounds but also meant that he shot just 7-of-18 from the field overall, but he also drained 3-of-6 3-point attempts and shot 8-of-8 on free throw attempts. Towns contributed throughout the box score, too, racking up six assists and four blocks.

It would be impossible to discuss the implications of this game without noting the play of rookie Josh Okogie, who received his third consecutive start in place of the injured Andrew Wiggins. Okogie scored a career-high 17 points (6-13 FG, 1-5 3P, 4-4 FT), four rebounds, three assists, three steals, and one block.

He was active on both ends of the floor, and outside of a couple of forced jumpers, was appropriately aggressive on offense and did an outstanding job guarding both Josh Ingram and LeBron James at times on defense.

All things considered, it was a solid win, and despite the Lakers relative lack of firepower surrounding James, The King still ended up with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists on the night, and the Wolves managed to best him and his squad down the stretch.

Players of the Game

Jimmy Butler: 32 points (12-20 FG, 6-7 3P, 2-2 FT), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, one steal

Karl-Anthony Towns: 25 points (7-18 FG, 3-6 3P, 8-8 FT), 16 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 blocks, one steal

The Timberwolves needed their two All-Stars on this night, and they were led to the victory by the duo of Butler and Towns.

Okogie receives an honorable mention here, too, as his activity level and production were the needed third-wheel.

Notable Box Score Lines

• Josh Okogie: 17 points (6-13 FG, 1-5 3P, 4-4 FT), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, one block
• Derrick Rose: 11 points (4-16 FG, 0-1 3P, 3-5 FT), 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 turnovers
• Anthony Tolliver: 10 points (4-4 FG, 2-2 3P), 4 rebounds, 2 blocks
• Jeff Teague: 9 points (2-12 FG, 0-4 3P, 5-5 FT), 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
• Gorgui Dieng: 9 points (3-5 FG, 1-2 3P, 2-2 FT), 5 rebounds, 1 steal

Okogie was great, as mentioned. Tolliver had a pair of threes in transition and a couple of rare dunks, as well as a pair of blocks, too.

Teague had a rough night but was okay defensively, while Dieng had a typical Gorgui-like night in just 16 minutes of play.

Up Next

The Timberwolves host Ricky Rubio and the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night at Target Center at 7 p.m. CT. It will be the first game that the Wolves will wear their Classic jerseys.