Minnesota Timberwolves: Player grades from loss to Raptors
By Ben Beecken
The Minnesota Timberwolves lost their second consecutive game on Tuesday, falling to the Toronto Raptors without Karl-Anthony Towns.
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It was Fan Appreciation Night at Target Center on Tuesday as the Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors tipped off in the Wolves’ final home game of the season.
Unfortunately for the Target Center faithful, Karl-Anthony Towns sat the game out with what was officially termed as “right knee inflammation” but it certainly appeared to be more for rest than anything else. Interim head coach Ryan Saunders is calling him a game-time decision on Wednesday in Denver.
The Wolves battled the mighty Raptors blow-for-blow throughout the first quarter, even taking a 28-26 lead into the second frame.
But the Raptors put the pedal to the metal and had an easy time with the Towns-less Wolves, outscoring them by a commanding 43-19 margin in the quarter, which meant a 22-point halftime deficit.
Andrew Wiggins and Gorgui Dieng each scored 16 points to lead the Wolves as nobody played more than 29 minutes. The Raptors were led by Kawhi Leonard, who scored 20 points on 14 shots in just 24 minutes.
Outside of some extended playing time for two-way players C.J. Williams and Jared Terrell and the Timberwolves debut of recent addition Mitch Creek, there wasn’t much to write home about in this one.
ANDREW WIGGINS. B-. Wiggins got off to a strong start but was ultimately predictably inefficient, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-17 shooting. He also tallied three rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in 28 minutes. The Raptors’ defensive game plan revolved around double-teaming Wiggins on almost every catch, regardless of where he was on the floor, and it worked.. Guard/Forward. Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves. DARIO SARIC. B+. Saric had another solid game, finishing with 15 points (5-15 FG, 2-6 3P, 3-3 FT) and nine rebounds. Other than a single turnover in 24 minutes, he didn’t record another stat. It’d be nice to see him assert himself a bit more on Wednesday in Denver — especially if Towns sits out once again.. Power Forward
Okogie had an extremely quiet night, playing just 18 minutes as he sat down in favor of several of the other wing players that typically don’t get as much playing time, including the two-way guys and Creek. Okogie had just three points on 1-of-4 shooting and committed four personal fouls.. Guard/Forward. Minnesota Timberwolves. JOSH OKOGIE. C-
Jones had another double-double, finishing with 11 points (5-9 FG, 1-4 3P), 10 assists, one rebound and one steal. He’s been fantastic of late, and only committed one turnover in this one after committing zero turnovers to 13 assists last time out.. Point Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. TYUS JONES. A
A-. Tolliver was good, scoring six points and making two of his four 3-point attempts. He played 23 minutes, grabbed four rebounds and blocked three shots. He also added a steal and an assist.. Forward. Minnesota Timberwolves. ANTHONY TOLLIVER
A-. <a href=. Center. Minnesota Timberwolves. GORGUI DIENG
The rest of the players
Keita Bates-Diop had seven points and four rebounds but shot just 2-for-7 from the floor in 24 minutes. He added two blocks, an assist, and a steal.
Cameron Reynolds played 19 minutes and shot just 3-of-10 from the floor, including 2-of-7 from beyond the arc. Two-way player C.J. Williams had seven points on 3-of-6 from the floor, three steals, and two rebounds.
Fellow two-way player Jared Terrell had five points and three assists in his second game as the team’s backup point guard in the absence of Jerryd Bayless.
Creek appeared in his first game as a Wolf and had six points on 3-of-6 shooting and had two rebounds in 12 minutes.
dark. Next. NCAA tournament prospects for Wolves to consider
What’s Next?
The Timberwolves finish their season on Wednesday night in Denver against the playoff-bound Nuggets. Towns is a game-time decision in a tough back-to-back at mile-high altitude.