It wasn’t always pretty, but the Wolves got back in the win column on Sunday
night thanks to a game-winner with 0.6 seconds remaining from Derrick Rose and a
massive effort from Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns was on another level in the first half against a Suns team that was
missing their starting center Deandre Ayton, and finished with 30 points, 12
rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block. Though his scoring was quieter
in the second half, he made his presence felt with a few crucial plays on the
defensive end including a steal to set up the Wolves’ final possession. Derrick
Rose picked up the scoring load in the second, finishing with 31 points, four
rebounds and three assists, including the game-winner.
THE KID FROM CHICAGO COMES UP CLUTCH@budweiserusa Legendary Moment
pic.twitter.com/hGOYIaRG4u
The Wolves have at times struggled to find a consistent scorer on the
perimeter–Jeff Teague is more of a distributor and Andrew Wiggins is more of a
combo forward than a scoring guard. Rose has filled that role perfectly for the
Wolves this year. His ability to create his own shot quite literally won the
game for the Wolves tonight. His shooting threat and ability to penetrate the
defense breaks defenses wide open for Minnesota.
In just a few seconds, Rose lifted a massive weight off the chests of the
Wolves. Sunday night’s victory was a crucial one and taking a loss would have
been brutal. Things aren’t going to get any easier for Minnesota so adding a
home win tonight puts them in far better position heading into the next week of
games.
BBQ pic.twitter.com/fjpPWNnZkS
The Wolves go on the road now to face these same Suns on Tuesday, before
traveling to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers and Utah to face the Jazz. Those
will be tough contests–Utah is always difficult and the Jazz are playing great
basketball right now, and there’s a chance LeBron James is back by the time the
Lakers play the Wolves. For the Wolves to make the playoffs they need to win a
few on the road, but to stay in contention at all it’s a necessity to win at
home, especially against an inferior opponent. Thanks to Rose, what could have
been a disappointment became an incredible success.
Towns and Rose will justifiably dominate the headlines from the game, but Taj
Gibson’s efforts cannot be overlooked either. His solid post play complimented
Towns well tonight as Towns tended to take the ball and drive into the paint in
addition to his post-ups. When Phoenix tried to double Towns, Gibson positioned
himself well as an outlet–it was an excellent supporting performance.
A few other Wolves also came alive late in the game, with Anthony Toliver, Dario
Saric and Jerryd Bayess playing key minutes to bury the Suns. The Wolves
definitely struggled in some areas of their game tonight, shooting just 6-of-24
from three and turning the ball over 15 times. However, the most important
statistic is the win, and KAT and D-Rose show was enough to get them that. Now
it’s time for the team to start stacking a few of them together.
Player: Derrick Rose
Player: Karl-Anthony Towns
Media Content:
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suns
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