Minnesota Timberwolves: Wiggins leads Wolves to crazy win over Hawks

I don’t even know what to think right now.

The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Atlanta Hawks, who were 7-1 on the season going into the game, by a score 117-107.

There was a lot more to it than that, though.

In the first half, the Wolves were literally unflappable. They did everything right on both sides of the floor, absolutely dominating one of the better teams in the NBA in the Hawks. As I sat on my dorm room couch watching this game on my low-def television, I had to pinch myself more than once to make sure what I was watching was actually happening.

Now bear with me here, because what you’re about to read is NOT a typo. After scoring 42 points in the second quarter, the Wolves led the Hawks 72-42 at the half. SEVENTY-TWO TO FORTY-TWO. THAT’S A THIRTY-POINT DEFICIT.

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Andrew Wiggins scored 16 points in the first half on 8/10 shooting to lead the Wolves. However, the first half performance from Zach LaVine was even more impressive. He’s endured a lot of criticism as he’s struggled mightily playing the point guard position, but he was able to put up 13 points on 5/6 shooting, 5 assists, 2 steals and ZERO turnovers in ten minutes played in the first half. Needless to say, everything was clicking for the Wolves.

Then, halftime happened, which turned out to be a really bad thing for the Wolves.

Despite the Wolves increasing their lead to 34 (!) points early in the third quarter, for a majority of the second half, it was literally the exact opposite of the first half. The Hawks, led by Jeff Teague, Al Horford, Paul Millsap, and Dennis Schroder, picked up their defensive intensity and forced the Wolves to commit turnover after turnover, and the lead gradually decreased. Additionally, the Hawks just made a ton of shots after not getting anything to fall in the first half.

All of a sudden, the Hawks were LEADING by one, 107-106, in the fourth quarter. And I was in the midst of a nervous breakdown.

From that moment on, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns absolutely took over the game. Wiggins took that “gimme the ball and get out of the way” mentality and ran with it, going right at the Hawks in the final minutes of the game. This play here, an and-1 from Wiggins, was a big momentum shifter late in the game.

Towns led the charge on the defensive end in the final minutes, swatting three shots late in the quarter and altering a few others. The efforts of Towns and Wiggins together led the Wolves on an 11-0 run to finish the game, regaining the momentum they had in the first half.

If you missed the game tonight, I’m truly sorry. Despite the 30 minutes or so when the Wolves made you want to vomit as the Hawks climbed back into the game, this was super fun to watch.

Last thing I’ll write before my game notes/observations: This game says a lot about the Minnesota Timberwolves. The first half displayed how good this team can really be, while the second half showed that they’re still a really young team that has a ways to go. But it was those final minutes when the Wolves went on a 12-1 run that was the most impressive for me, and here’s why. Wiggins and Towns are a combined 39-years-old, but from the leadership displayed by those two tonight, you’d never, ever guess that. I’m really excited for the future because of that.

Notes/Observations

— ANDREW FREAKING WIGGINS. He was unbelievable. I’ve said plenty of times before that Wiggins needs to be more aggressive, even if it means he’s inefficient at times. Well tonight, he was aggressive and efficient. He finished the evening with 33 points (15/22 FG, 1/2 3pt FG, 2/4 FT), 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Additionally, he welcomed the role of “go-to scorer” late in the game, which was very encouraging to see because he’ll need to be that guy in the future for the Timberwolves.

Also, I feel obligated to add these videos because, well, just watch them. And make sure you’re not drinking anything when you do. (credit to John Meyer from CanisHoopus.com for the videos)

— Ricky Rubio was his sneaky, crafty good self again tonight. He registered 10 points (4/10 FG, 2/2 FT), 8 assists and 3 steals and again made a tremendous impact on the defensive end. This guy is good.

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— Karl-Anthony Towns is also good. He posted yet another double-double tonight, recorded 17 points (5/7 FG, 7/8 FT), 12 rebounds and 3 blocks. He was an instrumental part of the late 11-0 run that propelled the Wolves to the win. You really can’t say enough about the way he’s played in his first six games as a professional.

— I know people are tired about hearing of Sam Mitchell and his rotation, but I’m sorry. I’m going to complain just a little bit here. He waited SO LONG to bring the starters back in during the 4th quarter when the Hawks were on the verge of taking the lead. The second unit was clearly overwhelmed, and for some reason Mitchell waited an absurd amount of time to bring them in. I mean, they won the game so I guess he gets last laugh. I don’t know, I’m starting ramble.

— Nemanja Bjelica played 30 solid minutes off the bench for the Wolves, tallying 11 points (3/5 3pt FG, 2/2 FT), 5 rebounds and 4 assists. His defense has been stellar this season, and it seems to be going a bit under-the-radar. He deserves recognition for it.

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— Zach LaVine was very good tonight as Rubio’s backup point guard. He struggled a bit in the second half as the Hawks were destroying everything in their path, but overall an extremely encouraging performance from LaVine. He finished the night with 13 points (5/7 FG, 1/1 3pt FG, 2/2 FT), 6 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals and this sweet dime to Kevin Martin.

— I guess I should give some credit to the Hawks tonight, because they were pretty remarkable tonight in the second half. Jeff Teague maintained his status as one of the best point guards in the NBA, netting 24 points (10/17 FG, 1/4 3pt FG, 3/3 FT) and 9 assists while Paul Millsap scored 22 points (9/15 FG, 3/5 3pt FG, 1/2 FT) and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Atlanta.

— Someone should start a television show entitled “Kevin Garnett bench reactions” because that would be incredibly entertaining. This is Garnett after a late Hawks miss.

Onward

The Minnesota Timberwolves will get on a plane tonight and fly back to Minneapolis for another game tomorrow night as they host the Charlotte Hornets. Check with us at Sporting Sota for all news and analysis on the Wolves as well as the rest of your favorite Minnesota teams.

NOTE: Vines used in this article are from John Meyer of CanisHoopus.com

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