Minnesota Timberwolves: Wiggins flashes killer instinct in comeback win over 76ers

For three quarters, this game had “meh” written all over it.

Then, Andrew Wiggins absolutely dominated the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points in the period and showing a killer instinct that only a select few NBA players have en route to a 100-95 win for the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Did I mention he’s 20-years-old?

Wiggins finished the game with 32 points, just one shy of his career high, on 10 of 21 shooting and 11 of 12 from the free throw stripe. Time and again this season, Wiggins has shown that he’s capable of being “the man” in Minnesota, and tonight was just another example of it.

The big storyline going into this game was the matchup between two of the top three draft picks from the 2015 as Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor did battle. Okafor won this battle with ease, and it turned out to be one of his best outings as a pro so far. He finished with 25 points on 10-for-15 shooting and 12 rebounds, and he was a force in the low post for the Sixers. He’s a special talent, there’s no doubt about it, and it’s tough to watch him on such a poor team.

Towns, on the other hand, struggled, and it didn’t help that he battled serious foul trouble the entire game. Playing only 19 minutes, Towns recorded 6 points, two rebounds and two blocks.

Overall, a strong second half prevented the Wolves from one of the more embarrassing losses in franchise history. The Wolves outscored the Sixers 54-43 in the second half to keep the Sixers winless on the season (now 0-15) and give Minnesota fans their first home victory of the season.

Notes/Observations

— Kevin Garnett is still fun at 40-years-old. Like, really fun. He got the Wolves’ second half going by making three baskets early in the third quarter, and wound up just two points away from a double-double. And, of course, his bench reactions are always tremendous.

— Ricky Rubio scared Wolves fans everywhere when he rolled his ankle on Nerlens Noel’s ankle late in the first half. He seemed fine in the second half, though, and would up recording 8 points (2/5 FG, 4/4 FT), 6 rebounds and 11 assists. Also, unsurprisingly, he led the team in +/- with a +21 tonight.

— Man, Jahlil Okafor can play. I don’t usually put observations from the opposing team in this section, but Okafor deserves it.

— The new starting lineup tonight featuring Kevin Martin instead of Tayshaun Prince got off to a slow start, but I think it’s probably better in the long run. If it were up to me, I’d put Zach LaVine in the starting rotation at the two, but I don’t expect Mitchell to do that if he’s going to be the backup point guard.

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— Speaking of LaVine, he had an off shooting night but I admire his confidence. It doesn’t matter if he turns the ball over, gets dunked on, or shoots the ball over the backboard, that confidence never falters. It might be premature to say this, but I see some of the same killer instinct in LaVine that I see in Wiggins. Neither one of them is afraid of the big moment.

— More Andrew Wiggins raving because of course. I don’t think it’s bold to proclaim Wiggins as a top five crunch time scorer in the NBA. He’s been that good this season, especially in his last eight games or so.

Oh yeah, and this.

"Oh Canada"

Onward

The Minnesota Timberwolves improve to 6-8 on the season with tonight’s victory, and they’ll stick around for another home game against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, a team they already defeated 117-107 this season.

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