NBA
Timberwolves Stay Hot With 121-104 Win Over The Hornets
The Minnesota Timberwolves entered the game against the Charlotte Hornets with a 12-12 record, which is shocking considering how the season started. They also entered the game winning eight of their last eleven games. This stretch of games as of late has been a treat for the fans that have endured the consistent losing and letdowns.
Even last year when the Timberwolves broke their 14 year playoff drought, it wasn’t a great playing style. They won off of pure talent and not team chemistry. If you have a team featuring talents of Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Andrew Wiggins, you are going to win a majority of your games without playing a team style game.
They were trying to continue this hot streak Wednesday night against the Hornets at home. Kemba Walker has been an assassin for the Hornets this year, carrying the team on numerous nights. They came into the game with a record of 11-12, which has pretty much defined their up and down season thus far.
Hornets vs Timberwolves Game Recap
The game was a back and forth between the two squads for the first three quarters. The Timberwolves were still performing efficiently though. The defense that has been propelling and energizing of late, was there for the most part. The 3-point shot was also a nice weapon for them, making 12 for the game, but they still shot 50% from three point range.
By the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves threw down the hammer. They scored 35 points while holding the Hornets to just 18 points. For a six minute stretch in the quarter, the Timberwolves went on a 25-5 run. They pretty much demolished the Hornets’ hopes to come back. Once again, defense leading the way to create the great offense for the Timberwolves in the fourth.
Walker had a quiet performance on the night. He ending up scoring only 15 points on a 6 of 16 shooting night from the field. Jeremy Lamb had a rough night from the field as well, shooting 6-18 from the field and finishing with 18 points.
Timberwolves Are Moving Up In The Tough Western Conference
The Timberwolves wrapped up the game with a 121-104 victory over the Hornets. They’re now over .500 with a 13-12 record. They’re also slowly moving up in the Western Conference as well. The Timberwolves are now the 10th seed in a crowded and tough west.
Towns was dominating the smaller big man that the Hornets had to offer. He endes the night with 35 points, 12 rebounds, two steals, and tying a career-high in blocks with six. He also drained 4-5 three pointers on the night, continuing his stretch of games with at least one three made in a game.
Wiggins Also Put Together Another Great Outing
Wiggins had another great outing for himself, especially in the second half. He finished off the night with a season high 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Wiggins has been gaining confidence as of lately and it’s showing in his game.
Stats may not be there every night, but he looks engaged and focused in the game. He’s locking down on defense and finally attacking the rim again. One highlight from him on the night was a put back dunk over three players.
Timberwolves Put Up Impressive Numbers Against The Hornets
The team ball over the last few games has been immaculate for the Timberwolves. Even on tough nights for the Timberwolves, they still have ball movement. Wednesday’s game was no different. Last night’s game marked another season high for the squad with 34 assists. Jeff Teague was responsible for most of them by dishing out a career-high 18 assists, which is one shy from tying a franchise record.
Defense was the other theme of the night for them and the numbers showed it. The Timberwolves blocked 11 shots on the night and held the Hornets to 40.8% from the field. Once again, Robert Covington showed his defensive leadership and being the anchor of the killer defense that now defines the team.
They had five players score in double figures on the night. With Towns and Wiggins being the two high man in scoring, others stepped up as well. Covington had 17, Derrick Rose off the bench scoring 16, and Taj Gibson pitched in with 11 points to go along with 10 rebounds.
Happy Times
Towards the end of the game, and the win was in lock, Towns fouled a player and told head coach Tom Thibodeau to get the bench out on the court. The crowd erupted and cheered as they saw the starters go to the bench and the bench finally get on the court. It also allowed Timberwolves fan favorite, Josh Okogie, to get his moment of glory as fans cheered for his appearance.
The starters were smiling from ear to ear on the bench. A rare sighting of Wiggins smiling, laughing, and showing general emotion even happened. Even Thibodeau ceased his barking for a bit. Granted that was primarily because Rose told him to calm down and just watch the game, but still. Usually, Thibodeau doesn’t listen to that.
Road Trip Ahead
Now that the home stand is over with, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a four game west coast road trip to focus on. They will go up against the Portland Trailblazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, and the lowly Phoenix Suns on the trip. Three of those four games will be a test for them.
The team hasn’t performed well on the road this year, only winning two games. However, they haven’t played many road games with the new players. They’re on a hot streak right now, going 9-3 over their last twelve games, and winning six out of their last seven games. The team has a lot of momentum and juice going to keep this great play of late alive.
Photo Credit
World Updates via Flickr
