Minnesota Timberwolves: Derrick Rose drops 50, Wolves beat Jazz

The Minnesota Timberwolves were severely shorthanded on Wednesday night, but former MVP Derrick Rose morphed into an unstoppable force to take down the Utah Jazz.

Derrick Rose’s career-high scoring night just happened. In 2018. In a Minnesota Timberwolves uniform. And not just any Timberwolves uniform, but the throwback, Kevin Garnett-era black threads with the treeline piping.

Oh, yeah, and the Wolves beat a likely 50-win playoff team without Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague, or Tyus Jones, meaning that the only point guard on the roster is a guy who hadn’t played a minute of point yet this season.

We can talk about roster balance — anytime you have C.J. Williams running the point you know that something was a bit off there — but let’s face it: Tom Thibodeau was dying to find a situation when he could play D-Rose for 41 minutes. And on this night, it worked out.

The Timberwolves played a strong game from start to finish and relied heavily on Rose and Karl-Anthony Towns, who each had 16 points at halftime.

The third quarter saw Minnesota build a double-digit lead behind a huge frame from Rose, only to see them give it right back and allow Utah to pull within five at the start of the fourth quarter.

The fourth featured struggles from the Wolves’ shorthanded bench before Rose and the toughness of Towns and Taj Gibson on the glass took over.

Jazz star Donovan Mitchell exited the game midway though the final frame due to a hamstring injury, and the Utah offense stalled considerably. Rose hit some big shots and a couple of huge free throws down the stretch, and with the Wolves up three points on the final possession, the Jazz missed two 3-pointers before, quite appropriately, Rose blocked Dante Exum‘s desperate attempt from the left corner.

This was an important win for the Wolves against a divisional opponent. Additionally, they were able to build a modest two-game winning streak before embarking on an extremely difficult, five-game West Coast road trip.

They needed this win, and even if it meant Derrick Rose launching 31 shots (third-most field goal attempts in a game in franchise history) in 41 minutes, Wolves fans will take it.

Good for Rose, as well. It’s clear that his teammates wanted this for him, and that means something — especially for a team whose locker room chemistry has been reportedly (and understandably) sour.

Also notable: Towns had a great all-around game, and Wiggins contributed positively in his first game back from a week’s absence. Also, James Nunnally saw legitimate minutes and played well.

Video of the Night

Player of the Game

Derrick Rose: 50 points (19-31 FG, 4-7 3P, 8-11 FT), 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, one block

Rose was awesome. There really isn’t any way around that. He was asked to switch positions and run the point against one of the best defensive teams in the league, and didn’t shy away from challenging Rudy Gobert at the rim, even after a few wild shots and bad turnovers.

The Wolves needed Rose to come through in this one, and he did. Here’s hoping that Thibodeau doesn’t run Rose into the ground on this road trip…

Notable Box Score Lines

• Karl-Anthony Towns: 28 points (9-17 FG, 4-9 3P, 6-8 FT), 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
• Andrew Wiggins: 19 points (8-17 FG, 3-5 3P, 0-1 FT), 6 rebounds, 2 steals, one assist, one block
• Josh Okogie: 10 points (4-5 FG, 0-1 3P, 2-3 FT), 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, one assist

Up Next

The Timberwolves head west for a five-game road trip. They’ll kick it off on Friday night against the Golden State Warriors with a 9:30 p.m. CT tip on ESPN.