The Wolves took an absolutely brutal loss on Thursday night in Orlando, falling
to the Magic 122-112. The Magic looked spirited and energetic, and the Wolves
looked anything but, dropping to 25-29 on the season and taking another step
backwards in their hunt for a playoff berth.
This game was one that the Wolves really could have used, but they didn’t do
themselves any favors, allowing the Magic to shoot 54.2 percent from the field
and 42.3 percent from three. This was a fast-paced game and the two teams were
fairly well-matched in almost every statistical measure other than shooting
percentage. The Magic simply put the ball in the hoop while the Wolves did not.
There were too many sloppy turnovers, too many good shots that didn’t go in and
not nearly enough trips to the line. The Magic made 21-of-23 foul shots while
the Wolves went 10-of-12. It’s said that the more aggressive team usually gets
the calls. That was Orlando tonight.
Terrence Ross, a player many thought would not be playing in an Orlando jersey
Thursday night, seemed to enjoy his evening, finishing with 32 points including
red-hot 6-of-13 shooting from the three point line. This is exactly the type of
performance that makes you wish that Robert Covington was off the injury report.
There’s no way Ross is able to do what he did tonight with Covington draped all
over him.
Karl-Anthony Towns was great on Thursday in his 300th consecutive start, as per
usual, finishing with 27 points on 75-percent shooting, 11 rebounds and five
assists. Andrew Wiggins shook off a rough first half to finish with 23 points,
nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks. Dario Saric was also
excellent, turning in a very efficient 17 points and adding eight rebounds. His
emergence as a legitimate third scoring option over the last few games has been
a real positive in what has otherwise been a disappointing stretch.
BIGKATTHROWINGDIMES pic.twitter.com/IcWcJpZsKs
We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again and Interim Head Coach Ryan Saunders
would agree, the only thing to do now is get as much out of this tape as you
can, make adjustments and move on to the next game. Make no mistake, tonight’s
result is very disappointing, but the Wolves now need to use that disappointment
to their advantage and channel it into a great performance Friday night in New
Orleans. Though it’s still very much a possibility, the clock is ticking on a
run at the postseason.
Player: Dario Saric
Player: Karl-Anthony Towns
Player: Andrew Wiggins
Media Content:
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Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dario Saric, Karl-Anthony
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