Minnesota Timberwolves: Towns leads Wolves over Nuggets

Karl-Anthony Towns is 19-years-old.

I just figured I’d get that incredible truth out of the way because what Towns did on Friday night against the Denver Nuggets is not something teenagers are supposed to do.

Towns led the Minnesota Timberwolves in points, rebounds, and blocks en route to a 95-78 win over the Nuggets at Pepsi Center in Denver. He was dominant in all areas of the game, and he was undoubtedly the best player on the court. His final stat line included 28 points (11/19 FG, 6/7 FT)), 14 rebounds, and four blocks. Oh, and he can pass the rock too.

"What a pass by Towns"

Timberwolves television color commentator Jim Petersen posted this tweet after the game that includes an interesting stat. Towns is just the second Timberwolf to ever put up 28-14-4 in a game in franchise history. You can probably guess who the other player is.

The Wolves controlled the game throughout, getting off to a fast start as they led 26-16 after the first quarter. Offensively, the offense sputtered a bit in the remaining three quarters, but it didn’t matter because of the tremendous effort from the Wolves on defense the entire game. While part of it was due to some poor execution from Denver, the Wolves defense looks noticeably tougher and more intact this season. Overall, the Nuggets were only able to post a 30.5% field goal percentage for the game. That’s good, er, bad (depends which way you look at it).

Andrew Wiggins, despite battling some sort of neck or shoulder injury, found a way to contribute 18 points on 5/13 shooting and 8/10 from the free throw stripe. Most importantly, Wiggins is playing aggressively and that’s important for his development.

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After a stellar 28-point, 14-assist performance to begin the season, Ricky Rubio responded with 12 points (2/8 FG, 8/9 FT) and eight assists and five rebounds tonight. Kevin Martin contributed 14 points (4/9 FG, 5/6 FT) off the bench and Zach LaVine chipped in 10 points (3/6 FG, 4/4 FT).

First-round draft choice Emmanuel Mudiay led the scoring for the Nuggets, posting 15 points (5/15 FG, 3/6 FT) two rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Will Barton chipped in 14 points on 4/14 shooting while Danilo Gallinari, Joffrey Leauvergne and Nikola Jokic each added 10 points for Denver.

The win improved the Wolves’ record to 2-0 on the season, which is just the sixth 2-0 start in franchise history. Additionally, this is the first time in franchise history the Wolves have started a season 2-0 by winning their first two games on the road.

Notes/Observations

— I’ve already touched on Towns, but I feel like adding more. This kid can flat out ball. Offensively, he’ll hit the mid range jumper or he’ll hit you with an array of post moves on the low block. Defensively, his freakish block radius is a force in the paint. Through two games, I honestly don’t see a weakness in his game.

— Ricky Rubio’s presence on the floor does wonders for this team on both ends of the floor. It’s almost like a completely different team is on the floor. The tempo is better, they’re more aggressive, and also more active. When Zach LaVine replaces Rubio at the point, it’s almost like an NFL team trying to play after its star quarterback just had to leave because of an injury. Don’t believe me? Check out the Wolves’ field goal percentage with him on the floor compared to him off the floor.

— Nemanja Bjelica‘s defense continues to impress me. Not much was made of his defense coming over from the Euroleague, where he made a name for himself as a versatile offensive weapon and as the occasional shot blocker.

— Kevin Martin is the best player in the league and getting complete bull crap shots to fall in. Against the Lakers and tonight in Denver, Martin threw up a prayer in an attempt to draw a foul and both times the ball somehow found the bottom of the net. It’s the ugliest looking thing in the world, but it’s effective.

— Emmanuel Mudiay will be a really good player in this league. He can hit the perimeter shot and he’s quicker than a hiccup, and he flashed a few things tonight. The Nuggets got a good one there.

— Watching Kevin Garnett on the bench is almost as entertaining as watching the Wolves play. The guy doesn’t sit in his seat for more than 30 seconds at a time before he jumps up and starts yelling at someone, whether it’s praising them or giving instruction.

— This old Nuggets fan made sure to bring his goggles to the game tonight. I love catching fan reactions like this.

Onward

The Minnesota Timberwolves open their home schedule on Monday when they host the Portland Trail Blazers. Reports have indicated that there will be a video tribute to Flip Saunders before the game that will feature some very notable people from around the NBA, including commissioner Adam Silver. As always, continue to check with Sporting Sota for Timberwolves news and analysis on the daily.

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