Minnesota Timberwolves: Magic steal one from Wolves in OT

Evan Fournier‘s three-pointer with three seconds remaining in the overtime period helped the Orlando Magic steal a victory from the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday night by a score of 104-101.

A crazy second half made this a pretty entertaining game, as the Wolves let a 14-point deficit slip away in the third quarter before ending the period in an 8-0 run to regain a five-point lead. The fourth quarter was mostly a back-and-forth affair, with players from both sides making big play after big play.

With six seconds remaining in regulation, the Wolves trailed by two points. Andrew Wiggins tied the game by executing a beautiful spin move and banking in a floater with two seconds remaining for two of his 28 points for the night.

On the ensuing Orlando possession to try to win the game, a cutting Tobias Harris caught the ball on the left block and looked to lay in the game-winning layup before Karl-Anthony Towns flew out of nowhere to record one of his six blocks on the night.

A hard-fought, back-and-forth overtime period culminated with Fournier’s cold-blooded three-pointer over Tayshaun Prince with just three seconds remaining. The Wolves tried to respond with a contested attempt from Zach LaVine on the other night, but to no avail.

Fournier tallied 26 points (9/17 FG, 5/7 3pt FG, 3/4 FT) to lead the Magic in scoring, but Elfrid Payton‘s overall performance may have been more impressive, as he put up 24 points (11/23 FG, 2/5 FT), 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals.

For the Wolves, Wiggins’ 28 points (8/17 FG, 0/1 3pt FG, 12/14 FT) led the scoring effort, a performance that marks Wiggins’ sixth consecutive 20-point game. Towns also had another remarkable game, adding to his impressive rookie campaign thus far by putting up 21 points (8/12 FG, 5/6 FT), 12 rebounds and 6 blocks. LaVine also contributed 14 points (6/12 FG, 2/5 3pt FG) off the bench.

With the loss, the Timberwolves fall to 5-7 on the season, including 5-2 on the road.

Notes/Observations

— All this talk of Andrew Wiggins being passive is, well, crazy talk. He’s not passive. There’s nothing about him that’s passive. He was attacking all night, and showing he can make the big plays down the stretch in a close game. Despite his quiet demeanor, this kid truly has a killer instinct inside him. I bet you see it often this season.

— Karl-Anthony Towns, man. Another double-double. Six blocks. I know this is, like, SUPER early, but he’s the clear-cut favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year right now.

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— Zach LaVine had a pretty difficult stretch there towards the end of the third quarter at the point guard position, as he let Orlando’s defensive pressure get to him. However, I like what I’m seeing from him. He’s a really good three-point shooter, and he’s learning to take care of the ball better and know when to attack. I really liked Sam Mitchell’s decision not only to play him in the final minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime, but also to let him take the final three-point attempt to tie in overtime.

— Kevin Garnett rested tonight and didn’t play, and his 12-15 minutes were sorely missed. Adreian Payne, who started in place of Garnett had no idea what was happening on the offensive end. Nemanja Bjelica had another rough night offensively and fouled out early in the fourth quarter. Additionally, the Wolves allowed 20 offensive rebounds tonight, something Garnett’s presence probably would’ve stopped.

— I’m not sure I like Ricky Rubio playing tonight, if I’m being honest. He’s clearly not 100% healthy, and playing him 35 minutes on the second game of a back-to-back just doesn’t seem smart to me. I mean, he played really well, of course. 8 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists is definitely a remarkable performance, but I was a little surprised he played tonight.

Next: RECAP: Wolves take down Heat behind Wiggins, Towns

Onward

The Timberwolves return home for a three-game homestand, beginning with the Detroit Pistons coming to town on Friday night. As always, continue to check with Sporting Sota for news and analysis on the Minnesota Timberwolves and all your favorite Minnesota teams.