Minnesota Timberwolves: Towns, Wiggins lead Wolves over Bulls

The 2015-16 version of the Minnesota Timberwolves is very, very fun and we saw a glimpse of it Saturday night.

In a back-and-forth game, the Timberwolves were able to sneak past the Chicago Bulls by a score of 102-93 in overtime. Man, this was an incredibly fun game.

Both teams came out firing in the first quarter, especially from deep, as the Wolves and the Bulls combined to shoot 10/13 from three-point range. Andrew Wiggins got off to a hot start, making his first four threes and finishing the game with 31 points (11/27 FG, 4/5 3pt FG, 5/10 FT). Although he did struggle down the stretch in the fourth quarter, he did do this which is really freaking cool. Notice the score and time remaining in the game.

The Timberwolves were able to hold the Bulls to just 35.5% shooting from the field tonight, despite the hot start the Bulls got off to. This defense is definitely improved from last season’s that finished last in the NBA in nearly every major defensive statistical category.

Chicago was led by Pau Gasol, who tallied 21 points (8/19 FG, 5/6 FT) and 14 rebounds and made a number of savvy plays to keep Chicago in the game down the stretch. However, Gasol’s teammates were unable to provide much for additional scoring.

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Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler were each only able to manage 11 points, as Rose shot 3/13 and Butler 4/15 for the evening. You know who defended Rose and Butler? Ricky Rubio and Wiggins. Yeah, they can both play defense pretty well.

Speaking of Rubio, that guy played some very good basketball tonight even though the stat sheet might not necessarily show it. He tallied 7 points (2/10 FG, 3/4 FT), 8 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals and played tremendous defense all game. Additionally, he made one key defensive play late in the game when he stripped ball from Gasol, dove for the ball, and called a timeout. This play describes why Rubio is so valuable to the Wolves.

While all the talk about Rubio and Wiggins is certainly well-deserved, two Wolves rookies also played huge roles in the win. Nemanja Bjelica recorded his first career double-double with 17 points (5/9 FG, 2/6 3pt FG, 5/6 FT) and 12 rebounds in 40 minutes.

However, after battling foul trouble in the first half, it was Karl-Anthony Towns who took over the game in the second half. His final stat line included 17 points (8/18 FG, 1/1 FT), 13 rebounds and 4 blocks. In the second half alone, Towns put up 13 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 key assists late in the fourth quarter and overtime.

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What we saw tonight was two different types of games. In the first half, it was a high-paced offensive shootout as both teams neared 60 points for the half (Wolves led 58-57 at half). In the second half, neither team was able to score 40 points as the squads were tied at 93 heading into overtime. Pretty impressive that a young team like the Wolves can play either type of game and still come away with a win against a difficult Chicago Bulls team on the road.

Oh, and by the way, the Wolves completely shut out the Bulls in the five-minute overtime period. Yeah, that defense is much better this season.

Notes/Observations

— Tonight marked the 2015-16 season debut of the Rubioop to Wiggins, which is always incredibly fun.

— Kevin Martin’s absence due to a personal issue opened the door for Sam Mitchell to use Zach LaVine on the floor with Ricky Rubio for a couple of stints. LaVine appeared much more comfortable on both ends of the floor during these stints, and you’d think Mitchell would try to use that more in the future even when Martin returns.

— The Ricky Rubio and Karl-Anthony Towns pick and roll game was ultra-efficient tonight in the second half. Those two have already developed a tremendous chemistry with each other after five games, and it’s only going to get better folks. Get excited.

— What Ricky Rubio did for the Wolves tonight will probably fly a bit under the radar for most fans, but not me. He got the offense going, distributing 10 assists and also had numerous hockey assists. Defensively, he was a menace on Derrick Rose, holding him to 3/13 from the field and just 5 assists.

— Say what you want about Tayshaun Prince, but the guy gets it done. He’s played solid defense all season long and, while he doesn’t do much on offense, he made a couple huge buckets tonight to help the Wolves get the win. He deserves minutes.

— If you don’t mind, I’d like to rave about Karl-Anthony Towns for a few sentences. Okay, so this kid is 19-years-old. He sat for a majority of the first half due to foul trouble. And what does he do in the second half? Oh, you know, just puts up 13 points, 12 rebounds 3 blocks and 2 of the sweetest assists from a big man I’ve seen. This guy is literally unbelievable. That’s the only word I can think of that accurately describes it.

— This game wouldn’t have been close if the Wolves could’ve just made their free throws, especially in the fourth quarter. Overall, they finished the game 17/27 from the line for just under 70%. It’s a bit of a concern moving forward, but I’m not worrying too much about it because they were still able to beat the Bulls on the road despite it.

— My excitement for this team in three years is off the charts. Rubio, Wiggins and Towns were all incredible tonight and they’re only going to get better.

Onward

The Minnesota Timberwolves travel to Atlanta on Monday night for a matchup with the Hawks, but you don’t need to think about that yet. You have my permission to celebrate this win up until Monday night because you’re a Wolves fan and you deserve it.

Next: Recap: Wolves burned by Heat

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