Minnesota Timberwolves dispel Magic, and here’s how they did it

The Minnesota Timberwolves traveled to the warm confines of Orlando, Florida, on a quest to even up the team’s unimpressive 1-2 road record. This was the third game of a four-game road stretch, and the Timberwolves wanted to string together a couple of wins, particularly after so many jigsaw puzzle pieces seemed to snap into place against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Despite the fact that the Orlando Magic’s record was only 4-10 entering the game, the list of opponents bested by the Magic is a virtual Who’s Who of potential NBA Playoff teams at the conclusion of this season. The Magic entered their seven-game home stretch with a record of 1-7. This team then defeated the Golden State Warriors, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Phoenix Suns handily.

The Timberwolves entered this game with a record of 6-8, but after weeks of dysfunctional play and inconsistent play, the Timberwolves showed signs of building off their Cleveland Cavaliers win.

A sampling of Timberwolves Game Takeaways

The Timberwolves showed a bit of grit in this one, rocketing out to an early lead and then fending off a second-half rally by the Magic. But this was more than a win. The +/- rating of all five starters ended as a (+) for all five starters, and with ratings that came in at or above (+12).

Of the 126 points scored by the Timberwolves in this one, the duo of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for more than half of the team’s total scoring, coming in at a hefty sum of 65 points between the pair.

While no starter recorded a double-double, all starters scored in double digits, and three of five Timberwolves starters hauled in eight rebounds on the evening.

It was a solid game for the entire Timberwolves roster, as the team committed just 15 fouls and turned the ball over just 11 times.

The Timberwolves dominated on fast break points by a margin of 30 to 9. The Timberwolves won the battle for points in the paint by 58-56. The Timberwolves rocketed out to an 18-point lead in this one, and never let the lead slip under nine points in this one.

The statistic that I enjoyed the most is that of perimeter shooting. While the Timberwolves shot just 33.3 percent from three-point range, the team held the Orlando Magic to just 25.7 shooting from long range. If the Timberwolves can continue that type of defense, this team is absolutely going places.