For veteran teams, the preseason doesn’t really paint a very clear picture for us. Most of the time for a team like, say the Oklahoma City Thunder, it’s about getting guys real game minutes and while trying get in basketball shape for the regular season.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are not a veteran team. That’s why falling to the Thunder 122-99 in Wednesday night’s preseason game isn’t as important as certain things that occurred in the game.
The Wolves started off looking lost defensively, trailing 42-28 after the first quarter. That has to be especially frustrating for a team that has been stressing defense more than anything else throughout training camp.
“It’s tough when you’re playing OKC,” interim head coach Sam Mitchell said after the game. “I think everyone could that that’s one of the top teams in the NBA. It was a good test for our guys.”
The positive from that first quarter, and for the whole night, was the play of Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns had 10 points early. More importantly, six of those 10 points weren’t at the rim. The former Kentucky Wildcat showed off his range, something the Wolves haven’t seen out of a center in quite some time. Towns finished with 18 points and five rebounds in his first NBA action (not including Summer League).
Another young center impressed on the night. Third-year center Gorgui Dieng quietly scored 18 points off the bench and looked much more fluid with his jump shots. His floaters also had more touch on them. Clearly he’s carrying the confidence from this summer’s AfroBasket in the NBA season.
“The last three days of practice, he’s been outstanding,” Mitchell said of Dieng. “It just kind of carried over.”
Joining Dieng is solid play off the bench was Kevin Martin, who recently found out he’ll be coming off the bench. He gave the Wolves a boost in the second quarter, getting the team within six points. He ended with nine points in 10 and a half minutes.
The Nemanja Bjelica legend continues to grow. Bjelica finished with 11 points and five rebounds, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story. He moved the ball when the Wolves needed ball movement. He had just two assists, but was part of a few possessions that would have made Gregg Popovich smirk.
In Oklahoma City-related news, it was Kevin Durant’s first game since breaking his right foot (twice) last season. He played 22 minutes and 25 seconds and finished with 15 points, shooting 5-for-8 from the field.
The Thunder offense started where it left off last season, with Russell Westbrook. Westbrook finished with 14 points (all coming in the first quarter) and game-high 13 assists in just over 22 minutes.
LEADER OF THE PACK
Minnesota fans had to be happy with the all-around performance of Towns in his first NBA game. To go with his game-high 18 points, he also added five assists, two steals and an assist. He shot 8-for-12 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
Towns, a perfectionist, knows there’s still plenty of work to do.
“For the first game, just getting my feet wet,” Towns said. “It was okay… I strive to hit 100 percent (of my shots) every game.”
HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME
With about four minutes left in the second quarter, Towns corralled a rebound and went right back up with a big-time slam. What should probably excite Wolves’ fans more than anything is the intensity Towns showed after.
KG is already rubbing off on him.
NUMBERS GAME
- The Wolves really struggled in the paint, scoring just 34 points to the Thunder’s total of 58.
- It was definitely the first preseason game. There were 34 combined turnovers.
- The bench was big for Minnesota, shooting 24-for-44 from the field (54.5 percent), scoring 66 of the team’s 99 points.
- Oklahoma City big men Serge Ibaka and Enes Kanter combined for 34 points and 12 rebounds.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Wolves head to Winnipeg on Friday after practice to play the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. The game will air on NBA TV. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m.