The Minnesota Timberwolves lost their ninth game in a row, dropping their second matchup to the Oklahoma City Thunder during that span.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are in the midst of another epic losing streak, but they once again had a real chance to win in the fourth quarter.
The Wolves got a triple-double from Shabazz Napier, who finished with 10 points, 13 assists, 10 rebounds and two steals, and 37 points from Karl-Anthony Towns in the loss.
The Oklahoma City Thunder were shorthanded, missing Danilo Gallinari, Terrance Ferguson and Nerlens Noel, but it didn’t matter. They enjoyed 25 points and 10 assists from Chris Paul and 26 points off the bench from Dennis Schroeder.
The Wolves were down four at halftime and fell apart in the fourth quarter, trailing by 19 heading into the final frame. But they came out strong in the fourth, getting as close as five points but ultimately unable to stop the duo of Paul and Schroeder in the pick-and-roll game.
Minnesota’s struggles against scoring guards with a proclivity for draining mid-range jumpers continued. The bench was also punchless in this one, with only Keita Bates-Diop scoring more than five points, dropping 11 on 5-of-9 shooting.
Player of the Game
Karl-Anthony Towns: 37 points (13-23 FG, 4-9 3P, 7-8 FT), 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
Towns had his third consecutive game scoring north of 30. He had 19 of his points in the first quarter, scoring 19 of the Wolves’ first 20 points. He fell hard on his wrist in the second quarter, and it sure looked like he may have popped it back into place. (Watch the Fox Sports Oklahoma feed…there’s a popping noise a scream, but apparently not many other picked up on that…)
Towns was solid through the rest of the game, but simply didn’t get enough help from his teammates, and struggled defensively in the pick-and-roll game himself.
Next Up
The Wolves stay at home to take on the Sacramento Kings on Monday evening in their next opportunity to snap this rapidly snow-balling losing streak. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
You may recall that the last time the Wolves had a massive losing streak, it was a post-Christmas Day, double-overtime victory in Sacramento that ended things. Here’s hoping for a similar result.