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Towns And Wiggins Lead Wolves To Huge Win With Huge Playoff Implications

It was a game the Wolves absolutely needed in the midst of a wild Western Conference playoff battle.

And they got it.

Minnesota snapped a two-game skid and took down the Clippers 123-109 on Tuesday night at Target Center.

The game was so significant, and arguably the biggest game for the Wolves in the last 10 years, because Minnesota entered the game as the eight seed in the West, just two games ahead of the Clippers.

Jimmy Butler (knee) was still out for the Wolves, but the cornerstones who are Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins came to play.

Towns finished with a game-high 30 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 10-for-19 from the field. Wiggins added 27 points (more on him shortly). Jamal Crawford led the bench with 20 points, shooting 7-for-13 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Jeff Teague had a 20-point, 12-assist double-double. Mr. Consistent, Taj Gibson, added 15 points and eight rebounds.

DeAndre Jordan led Los Angeles with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Lou Williams and Sean Kilpatrick scored 15 points each, while Austin Rivers added 11. Starters Milos Teodosic and Tobias Harris finished with 10 points each.

The Wolves moved to 41-31 and clinched their first .500 or better season since 2004-05. Minnesota sits at 41-31, eighth in the West, 0.2 percentage points back from Utah for seventh and a half game back from the Spurs and Pelicans for sixth and fifth, respectively.

The Clippers fall to 37-33, 10th in the West and three games out of a playoff spot.

Highlight of the Night:

With 6:55 left in the first quarter after defending a Clippers' fast break perfectly, Teague saved the ball, threw it to Gibson who pushed it to Bjelica at half court. Bjelica took a dribble before heaving it up to the pogo stick that is Wiggins. It gave the Wolves an 18-16 lead.

Numbers Game:

  • Tuesday marked the 38th birthday of Crawford. Not a bad little b-day for J-Crossover. It was the 10th time in team history a player scored 20 or more points on his birthday. Crawford, of course, was the oldest by seven years.
  • Wiggins had a career high three blocks.
  • By hitting a 3-pointer in the first quarter, Towns hit No. 102 of the season, marking a new career high for a single season.
  • The Wolves shot a near-perfect 23-for-24 from the free-throw line.

Player of the Game:

Wiggins was great on both ends of the court. He finished with 27 points, three rebounds and three blocks.

This play exemplifies the impact Wiggins has had on the defensive side of the ball lately. 

He shot a super efficient 9-for-16 from the field, 4-for-5 from the 3-point line and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.

Wiggins has scored 20 or more points in nine of his last 11 games.

Up Next:

The Wolves hit the road to take on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Friday. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on Fox Sports North and 830 WCCO.