They did it.
After dropping their last two games after having big leads, the Minnesota Timberwolves closed it out on Saturday night at the Target Center against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Minnesota took control in the second quarter, but let the lead slowly slip away in the fourth quarter. Unlike the previous two games, though, the Wolves stepped up late in the game to pick up the win.
Shabazz Muhammad was huge for the Wolves, racking up a season-high 25 points off the bench, shooting 8-for-15 and 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. Andrew Wiggins finished with 19 points, shooting 7-for-10 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. He had just one assist, but he’s been noticeably moving the ball more than he had earlier in the season.
“Andrew’s just being very unselfish, moving the basketball,” interim head coach Sam Mitchell said. “A lot of things start with him because teams are going to put pressure on him when he has the ball, especially in pick and roll and he’s doing a great job of moving it.”
Ricky Rubio orchestrated the offense and finished with 15 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and three steals. Karl-Anthony Towns had six fourth quarter points, finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds on the night. Kevin Martin finished with 11 points off the bench.
Mario Chalmers, despite a technical foul, finished with a team-high 19 points off the bench. Marc Gasol added 17 points. Matt Barnes (no technical) and Jeff Green finished with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
The Wolves move to 14-31 on the season, while the Grizzlies fall to 25-20.
“That’s what we kept on talking about: keep playing hard, keep playing on the offensive and defensive end,” Muhammad said. “I think we did a really good job on defense, especially on Marc (Gasol) and Zach Randolph. We did a good job of just rebounding the ball also with security. That was a big thing. Karl played well on the defensive end. That was one of the best games he’s had so far on the defensive end. That’s something we need all the time.”
Numbers Game
Leader of the Pack: Ricky Rubio
Rubio took control of the game in more ways than one on Saturday night. In just 28 minutes and 49 seconds, the Spaniard finished with 15 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and three steals. He shot just 2-for-7 from the field, but managed to get to the free-throw line 13 times, making 11. His two free throws late in the fourth quarter iced the game for the Wolves.
Highlight of the Night
With 4:38 left in the second quarter, Rubio stole the ball from Mike Conley, dished it to Karl-Anthony Towns and Towns took over from there, dunking on Matt Barnes.
(Sorry we’re not sorry, Matt.)
It tied the game at 38.
Up Next
The Wolves will get their second crack at the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night on the road. It will be the second game for new head coach Tyronne Lue. Tip is set for 6 p.m. on Fox Sports North, NBA TV and 830 WCCO.
