The Minnesota Timberwolves dominated the Washington Wizards, leading by double figures for most of the game despite the absence of Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are now 1-0 without All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns in the lineup.
With Towns sidelined for the first of his two-game suspension that was levied following the altercation between he and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid on Wednesday, the Wolves didn’t skip a beat. They built a double-digit lead in the first quarter and held the Washington Wizards at arm’s length all night long.
The Wolves led by a 35-18 score in the opening frame before the Wizards gained some ground against the Wolves bench, making things at least somewhat interesting. But as Ryan Saunders began to re-insert his starters over the course of the second quarter, Minnesota built their lead back up to 14 at halftime.
The third quarter was all Wolves, as a flurry of 3-pointers and superior rebounding led the visitors to a 36-16 advantage in the period. Minnesota’s lead ballooned over 30 points early in the final frame, and that was that.
The first half belonged to Gorgui Dieng and Jeff Teague, as Dieng busted the Wizards’ attempt at a zone defense by knocking down a few 10-footers in the paint, and Teague was more than content to take Isaiah Thomas into the paint nearly every time down the floor.
Andrew Wiggins and Robert Covington both had fantastic games as well, and Treveon Graham held Bradley Beal in check from the opening tap.
This was a complete and dominant win from the Wolves, and showed the team’s ability to band together in the face of adversity. Even though the Wizards are now just 1-4, they only lost to Houston by a single point on Wednesday. Plus, it would have been easy for the Wolves to mail it in without their best player available, but Saunders had his squad ready to play.
Player Grades
Other Players
Noah Vonleh was still the first big man off the bench but only played a three-minute stint in the first quarter before giving way to Jordan Bell. For the game, Vonleh played 13 minutes and had six points and five rebounds.
Outside of an impressive chase-down block, Bell struggled to the tune of four turnovers in only 11 minutes. He also had two points, four rebounds, two assists, and a block.
Up Next
The Wolves will spend the night in D.C. before flying back to the Twin Cities on Sunday morning. They’ll host the Milwaukee Bucks at 7 p.m. on Monday at Target Center, once again sans Towns.