The Wolves got exactly what they needed last night.
Minnesota took care of the Clippers with relative ease in a game that was close through one half, but never really in doubt down the stretch. They also got a couple key losses from their Western Conference competition.
Here’s what I noticed during their big win:
Wiggins’ Hustle
When Andrew Wiggins puts his athleticism to use, there are very few players in the league who can match him toe to toe. Watch him run down Austin Rivers twice to nearly get the steal:
Rivers never had a chance. Wiggins plays both shooting guard and small forward for the Wolves, and when he matches up against guards, his length and size give him a distinct advantage. When the Wolves play the 6’ 8’’ Wiggins at the two next to the 6’ 10’’ Nemanja Bjelica at the three, they will rarely give up height to an opposing team.
The logical foil to a player as tall as Wiggins defending shooting guards is the opposing player’s quickness, but as you can see, that isn’t an issue with Wiggins, who almost literally ran circles around Rivers.
Plays like this have value beyond the stat sheet. “When you see a hustle play like that, it does nothing but ignite and inspire the team,” said coach Tom Thibodeau after the game.
Wiggins was also responsible for what might be the play of the night—a fast-break alley-oop slam off a lob from Bjelica.
Wiggins is so fun to watch. It’s great to see him making these types of plays more frequently.
Fantastic Four
Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Jeff Teague and Jamal Crawford have all scored 20+ points in back-to-back games, becoming the first quartet to do so since 1998.
It’s an oddly specific stat, but it points to how effective and consistent this group has been leading Minnesota down the stretch.
It’s been quite a week for Crawford. He moved up to 60th on the NBA’s all-time scorers list, and only needs 11 points to move up another spot. He also only needs two three-pointers to pass Paul Pierce and move to fifth in the NBA in all-time made threes.
Wiggins was the player of the game last night, but Towns quietly put up 30 points, and Teague had 20 points and 12 assists. Teague’s command over the game has grown noticeably over the course of the season as he learns the tendencies and preferences of his Wolves teammates.
Now That’s Efficiency!
The Wolves shot 45-for-86 (52.3 percent!) from the field last night and made 10 of 25 threes. Those are some great shooting numbers.
They also shot 95.8-percent from the line, missing only one of their 24 free-throw attempts.
Obviously, Minnesota can’t expect to shoot the ball this well every night, but their aggressiveness and team-oriented play last night helped them find good shots around the rim and behind the arc.
The Wolves offense has been good all year, but it’s great to see them firing on all cylinders and working to find the best possible shot on every possession.
Take this play for example:
The initial shot didn’t fall, but look how expertly the Wolves exploit the mismatch between Rivers and Bjelica in the paint, and quickly move the ball to find an open three.
The Clippers are all forced out of position, and Tobias Harris has to run out to contest Wiggins’ shot attempt. This leaves nobody boxing out Taj Gibson, who gets the easy put-back jam. That’s how you confuse a defense. That’s how you shoot over 50 percent from the field. And, for the record, this was Wiggins’ only miss on five attempts from three.
It’s harder to stay patient and move the ball on offense against teams like the Rockets and Warriors which put up points at an incredibly high level, but for the Wolves to match up against the league’s best, it’s absolutely necessary. After a string of games against very high-quality opponents, the Wolves are entering a softer stretch of their schedule. Hopefully the next few weeks offer Minnesota plenty of opportunity to iron out their offense and replicate what worked so well on Tuesday.
Minnesota has a few days off before taking on the Knicks in New York on Friday, where they’ll look to build upon last night’s success and continue to move up in the standings.